The Battle Lord Chronicles: Under A Bloody Moon
by Basic Imperfection
Summary: Sequel to OTAL. YYH x Naruto crossover. Kristy was glad to just be alive, that much she knew. But being trapped in an unknown world with ninja of all things? ...Not so good. And what's this about more youkai being there? HieiOC
1. Prologue: The Unknown

**_IMPORTANT!  
_**This story is the sequel to "Of Truths and Lies". You **_must_** read that story first in order for this one to make any sense.  
**_IMPORTANT! _**

A/N: The sequel's here! The sequel's here! (**does a dance**) I'm happy that I'm finally getting to post this; I've really been looking forward to writing this sequel. I hope that everyone will enjoy it too (**grins widely**) For those of you who know nothing about Naruto, don't worry! I'll be attempting to explain everything so that it will make sense. If there's anything that you don't get, just please ask me about it!

I will be trying to update this story every week like I usually do, but I can't promise that I'll always be able to because I'm now working on two stories at the same time. Which reminds me: If you haven't already, please check out my new story "Even After All These Years".

Well, please read, _**review**_, and enjoy! Ja ne!

Disclaimer: I do not own Yu Yu Hakusho or Naruto. Kiara is owned by Yusuke'sSister.

Claimer: I do own the plot line, the Kuro Tournament, Kristy, Jason, Jessica, Chris, Bashere, and anything else related to them.

"Talking"  
'_Thinking_'  
'_**Telepathy**_'

**Thanks to my beta reader, Anna Jaganshi.**

* * *

Under A Bloody Moon

Prologue  
_The Unknown_

* * *

The first thing that I noticed was that I was lying on the cold ground. The second thing I noticed was that I was alive.

Instantly, I shot up into a sitting position, looking around wildly with wide eyes. My mind went into a second level of panic as I realized that I didn't recognized where I was. I was in the middle of a forest made up of large trees that towered above me. There wasn't a forest like this near the town that I'd been in, in the Makai nor anywhere in Japan as far as I knew.

Stumbling slightly, I got to my feet. Where was I? More importantly, how had I gotten here? The last thing that I remembered was being hit by Bashere's last attack...Kami, how had I survived that at point blank range? And what about Bashere for that matter; what had happened to him?

My mind still in a haze, I began to stumble through the forest, looking for anything familiar. I found nothing however and, even more worryingly, I also found no sign of either ningen or youkai life. Finally, however, I came across a small pool with a creek running through it.

I knelt down next to the pool and let out a sigh. Well, at least there was water here. I cupped my hands, leaned down, and then dipped them in the water to take a drink. As I began to lift my hands to my mouth to drink however I suddenly froze, having caught sight of my reflection in the water.

My hair was silver like it always was in my youkai form, but my wolf ears and tail were gone. Also, the silver flecks that were usually were in my sapphire eyes had disappeared, leading me to believe that I was in my human form. But...if that were true, then why was my hair still silver?

It was not these changes that captured my attention--and my shock--though. Rather, my eyes were drawn to the black tattoo that was now branded across the right side of my face, from the top of my forehead to the middle of my cheek: It was the Japanese character for "warlord."

"Kami," I breathed out. Bashere had said that this was the mark of the Battle Lord of the Makai. He'd also said that I'd never get it. I couldn't help but grin wryly at that thought; I'd shown Bashere. But my grin quickly disappeared.

The mark was surprising. The announcer had said that I'd won the fight, but Bashere's final attack had still caught me off guard, and I wasn't entirely sure what had happened after that. Did this mean that I was the new Battle Lord of the Makai?

I pushed my thoughts away as I leaned down to finally take a drink of water. I had more important things to worry about now than Bashere right now, such as where I was for starters. Would I ever manage to find my way back home?

I let out a sigh and turned my face up to face the patch of sky that I could see between the treetops above me, only to blink in surprise. There was a full moon in the sky, but not just any full moon.

It was blood red.

* * *

A pair of pitch black eyes slowly blinked themselves open. Their owner stared uncomprehendingly upwards for several long moments, still slightly out of it. Finally the figure, a tall man, woke up completely. He attempted to sit up, but almost instantly dropped back down, grunting in pain.

Realizing that he was vulnerable, the man quickly began to take stock of his situation while expanding his senses outward in search of danger. Before he could get very far however his vision was suddenly filled with the face of a man he'd never seen before. He had long black hair, paper white skin, and dangerous yellow eyes that glinted in the darkness of their surroundings.

The dark eyed man immediately tensed at the sight of the unknown person. Noticing this, the yellow eyed man chuckled.

"Looks like you're finally awake," he hissed out in a soft, smooth voice. The first man noticed that he smelled strongly of snakes. "Mind explaining just who you are and what you're doing here?"

The dark eyed man's eyes narrowed dangerously. He quickly drew on the power under his control and lashed out. The other man's eyes widened in shock and he immediately began to claw at his throat, as if something was obstructing his air passage.

"Perhaps, after you tell me who _you_ are, _human_."

* * *

A small, dark clothed figure lay curled up on the ground. His eyes were clenched tightly and he mumbled slightly under his breath, as if caught up in a nightmare.

Slowly, a second figure approached the first. They walked slowly but steadily, with a gait of someone who was sure of their abilities. Finally the person stopped next to the first, studying him. They seemed to be in a debate for a moment before finally letting out a sigh and stooping down. In one swift moment they scooped the smaller figure into their arms and picked him up.

Feeling the sudden motion, the first man began to wake up. His eyes opened to slits, revealing crimson colored eyes. He stared upward at the person carrying him, his mind hazy.

The second person chuckled lowly, but didn't say anything and simply began walking. For several moments the smaller man struggled to hold onto his consciousness, but then, as he slipped back into the darkness, he realized that he must still be dreaming.

After all, no one had _blue_ skin, right?


	2. Chapter 1: The Boy

A/N: Welcome back everyone! I was really surprised with the response to this sequel. I'm glad that so many people like it. There is one thing that I want to make clear though: This story is set about seven years after the attack of the Kyuubi, so it is still pre-Naruto storyline. You'll understand why eventually (**grins**) As a side note, in this story I'll be using the Japanese way of saying names. So, for example, it'd be Urameshi Yusuke instead of Yusuke Urameshi. Well, please read, review, and enjoy! Ja ne!

Disclaimer: I do not own Yu Yu Hakusho or Naruto. Kiara is owned by Yusuke'sSister.

Claimer: I do own the plot line, the Kuro Tournament, Kristy, Jason, Jessica, Chris, Bashere, and anything else related to them.

(1) - I have a picture of what he looks like, outfit and all on my profile. It's under the pics section.

(2) - I also have a picture of this man (I bet most of you can guess who he is (**grins**)). It too is in my profiles under the pics section.

(3) - I have a picture of a kunai (the weapon, as it'll be mentioned later) if you don't know what they look like. It's in my profiles under the pics section.

(4) "_**An**__satsu Senjutsu Tokushu __**Bu**__tai_" literally means "Special Assassination and Tactical Squad". It's kind of like S.W.A.T., and yet so different. More details about it will be in the fic.

(5) - "_Shinobi_" means ninja.

(6) - "_Konohagakure no Sato_" translates to "Village Hidden in the Leaves" or "Hidden Leaf Village". It's also of referred to as simply _Konohagakure_ (Hidden Leaf) or _Konoha_ (Leaf).

(7) - "_Nami no Kuni_" means "Land of Waves" and "_Hi no Kuni_" means "Land of Fire".

(8) - "_Kaze no Kuni_" means "Land of Wind", "_Sunagakure no Sato_" means "Village Hidden in the Sand", "_Mizu no Kuni_" means "Land of Water", "_Kirigakure no Sato_" means "Village Hidden in the Mist", "_Rai no Kuni_" mean "Land of Lightning", "_Kumogakure_ _no Sato_" means "Village Hidden in the Clouds", "_Tsuchi no Kuni_" means "Land of Earth", and "_Iwagakure no Sato_" means "Village Hidden in the Stone".

(9) "_Jinchuuriki_" translates literally to "power of human sacrifices". It's the name for humans who have youkai sealed within them (such as Uzumaki Naruto and Subaku no Gaara).

"Talking"  
'_Thinking_'  
'_**Telepathy**_'

**Thanks to my beta reader, Anna Jaganshi.**

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Under A Bloody Moon

Chapter 1  
_The Boy_

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I let out a sigh as I meandered slowly through the woods. I was completely coherent now, having been...wherever the hell I was...for several hours now. I'd been walking aimlessly for that time but hadn't managed to find an end to the forest, let alone any signs of ningen or youkai life.

I sighed a second time and stretched my arms behind my back, only to wince at the motion. The wound across my upper torso was still quite sore, though it was now more than half healed. I'd put some of the salve that that Healer, Yuki, had given me, which was probably helping.

Quite suddenly I head the snap of a branch. I froze, narrowing my eyes in the direction that the sound had come from while placing a hand on the hilt of one of my katana. At the same time I expanded my senses to find out what was out there.

My shoulders relaxed slightly when I found a ningen signature. I was surprised at the amount of reiki in that signature though; it was massive. This at least proved that there was life around here and also that I most likely wasn't in the Makai.

Just a few moments later my senses were proven to be correct when a boy stumbled into view. He was barely standing as it was and as he came into my view he tripped over a tree root and fell to his knees.

The boy couldn't have more than thirteen years old. He was clearly of Japanese descent and had dark eyes and long, straight black hair that was tied back in a ponytail. His most defining feature however, were the two strange creases on his face on either side of his nose.

His clothes were also quite strange. He wore a sleeveless black shirt, a pair of black pants, and some weird black sandals. Over his shirt he had on what appeared to be thin metal armor with it had straps over his shoulder. There were also metal grieves on his forearms and a katana was strapped to his back.**(1)**

As I began to approach the boy I heard that he was muttering slightly. He looked up at me and I was shocked to see that there were tears in his eyes.

"I-I didn't..." the boy stuttered. His eyes were glazed over and I knew that he wasn't really seeing me. "I sw--...I, I swear I didn't..."

Before he could finish what he was saying however the boy's eyes rolled back into his head and he slumped to the ground, unconscious.

I frowned worriedly at the boy, who I quite suddenly noticed was splattered with blood, though he had no wounds that I could see. I kneeled down next to him and reached out to touch his shoulder, only to quickly draw back with a gasp.

I hadn't noticed it before, but I could feel it quite clearly now: there was a residue of youki around him. My frown deepened. How was that possible? I was almost completely sure that he was a ningen...Bit then, I'd originally though that the Reikai Tentai were all ningens too.

Before my thoughts could go any further however, my sensitive ears and senses heard/felt the approach of several other humans. I paused for a moment, attempting to decide what my next course of action would be. In the end I decided that it would be best to err on the side of caution.

Gently I lifted the boy into my arms. I noted offhandedly that, due to my enhanced strength, it was almost disturbingly easy. One of the perks of being a youkai I guess. I hoped that the newcomers weren't friends of his that were looking for him, but considering his current state I doubted it.

I carried the boy to a shadowed spot beneath a tree and sat down there with him. I then used my abilities--noting with some small amount of shock that I could indeed use them in my current state--to create two shields. The first was a shadow one to hide us and the second was a psychic one to unconsciously stop anyone nearby from wanting to look closer at the shadows.

I was just in time. No sooner had I finished setting up the shields than a group of three ningen men appeared, though they weren't quite where I was expecting them to be, like on the ground perhaps. Instead they were on the branches of the trees. I stared wide-eyed up at them. They'd been leaping through the trees? What the heck were they, flying squirrels or something?

I pushed my surprise out of my mind and tensed however when the three stopped in the branches of a tree across from me. I had no worries about them hurting me--though their reiki levels _were_ shockingly high, just the boy with me, and the way they moved clearly indicated that they were warriors--but I didn't want to have to kill innocent ningens, especially when I had no idea where I was.

The men, I noticed, where dressed almost exactly like the boy, down to the metal armor. The only difference was that these men had wooden masks covering their faces. The masked appeared to be crafted in the likeness of animals and were white with red designs. My eyes narrowed up at them. Weirdoes.

What caught my attention however was the tall, lean man that stood at the front of the group. He had spiky silver hair that stood upright, kind of like Hiei's only a bit longer.**(2)** _Silver_ hair. As far as I knew only youkai could have naturally strange colored hair--something to do with genetics--but as far as I could tell this man was entirely human. What was going on here? Just where was I?

"Dammit," one of the other masked men growled. Though he spoke quietly, my enhanced ears easily picked up the words. "We can't let him get away!"

My eyes narrowed once more. So they _were_ after the boy I'd found. But why? He was just a kid!

The silver haired man sighed. "Let's split up. We'll cover more ground that way." The other two nodded resolutely and leapt away. They had surprising speed for ningens--as fast as some low-class youkai--but were almost slow to my eyes.

The silver haired man hesitated for a second as the others left. His eyes swept the area almost suspiciously, but they slid right over my hiding spot, just as they were supposed to. After a moment, he too left.

I stayed in my place for several long minutes, waiting until the ningens were out of the range of my senses. Only then did I release the shields and let out a sigh of relief.

As I got to my feet I glanced down at the still unconscious boy. He didn't look as though he'd be waking up any time soon.

With that though in mind, I set out to create a fire. _I_ might not need it, being immune to the cold and all, but the boy probably would. I gathered up a bunch of fire wood, set it up, and then set in on fire using my abilities. Within a few minutes I had a roaring fire going. The mysterious boy shifted slightly, obviously feeling the warmth, but didn't wake up. Smiling softly, I settled down next to him to wait.

I must have sat in front of that fire for hours, just staring at the dancing flames. My mind was going a mile a minute, attempting to figure out the answer to all of my questions--which there really were far too many of. Before I knew it though the sun had already begun to rise and the boy began to wake.

I turned to stare at the dark haired boy as he stirred. He awoke slowly at first, coming out of a deep sleep, but then quite suddenly became aware of his surroundings. Eyes widening, he quickly sat up, but then winced and held his head in his hands as if it hurt.

As the boy didn't really seem to be aware of my presence I clear my throat to get his attention. Bad move. He reacted instinctively, leaping away and pulling out a strange dagger as he did so**(3)**.

"Woah there," I said, raising one eyebrow and holding up my hands in a placating gesture. "It's alright. Calm down."

The boy eyed me warily and didn't put down his weapon, but he didn't run away either. It was a start at least.

"Who are you?" the boy demanded shortly. "Are you a--" His eyes narrowing further, he cut himself off and took another step back.

"I'm Kristy," I said with a grin. When he didn't say anything in reply and just continued to stare at me I repressed a sigh. "And you are?" I prompted.

The boy still didn't reply. Annoyed, I stared at him as well. We stayed like that for almost a minute until, finally, he blinked.

"Ha!" I shouted triumphantly, pointing a finger at him. "You blinked!"

The boy stared at me like I was insane. He didn't move at first, but then finally took a couple of slow steps back. When he began to turn around to run off, I quickly moved in front of him and grabbed his wrist causing him to drop his blade.

The boy jerked back, his eyes wide in surprise at my speed. "What--" he started, but I cut him off.

"I'm not going to have you just run off," I said in annoyance. "Not after I went through all the trouble of hiding you from those masked weirdoes. Plus...I'm kind of lost..." I couldn't help but sweat drop.

The boy froze and stared at me. "Masked--? ...ANBU?! Some ANBU came by?!"

I stared blankly at him, not recognizing the term. "...ANBU?"

The boy's brow furrowed. "Yes, Ansatsu Senjutsu Tokushu Butai**(4)**, the--" He stopped suddenly and eyed me in confusion. "Wait, how can you not know...?"

"Er, I'm not exactly from around here...Actually, I'm not even sure how I got here." I felt myself sweat dropping again. "Would you mind helping me out a bit by explaining a bit about this area? And for that mater--" My expression grew serious. "--Why do you have a residue of youki hanging around you?"

The boy's eyes grew wide once more and I thought I saw panic flash through them. Just moments later his countenance change however and his expression became cold.

"How can you tell?" he hissed out. "Exactly who are you anyway? Not just anyone can hide from ANBU. Almost _no one_ can hide from ANBU!"

I let out a sigh. "Look, it seems to me that we both have questions, so why don't we sit down and discuss this like civilized beings, hmm?" At the boy's hesitant nod I released his wrist. We both sat down then, though he sat several feet away from me, quite tense. Doubtless the only reason why he didn't flee immediately was because he knew that he wouldn't be able to outrun me.

"Now," I said brightly. "Let's start over. I'm Kristy."

He hesitated, but finally spoke. "...Uchiha Itachi." He tensed up further, but then became confused when I made no signal that I recognized the name. "You...you really _aren't_ from around here, are you?" he mused. For some reason that thought seemed to make him relax, at least a little bit.

"It's a good thing that I ran into you then, isn't it, kid? I was completely lost before."

"Well, where are you from then? You're obliviously a fighter, but you don't seem like a shinobi**(5)**."

I couldn't help but laugh. "A shinobi? A _ninja_? Heh, kid, shinobi haven't existed for--" I suddenly paused, remembering the masked weir-- the _ANBU_, from earlier. "...You're not joking, are you? Are you shinobi?"

The boy, Itachi, furrowed his brow again. "Yes, of course. I'm an ANBU," he admitted.

I frowned at him. "If you're one of them, then why are they looking for you like you're some kind of criminal?"

Itachi flinched at my words and refused to meet my gaze. "I...It's a long story," he said finally. I would have pressed for more information, but the raw pain I saw pass through his eyes convinced me that now was not the time.

"So," I said instead, "Are you from, like a community of shinobi or something?"

"I suppose you can call it that," he murmured. "I'm from Konohagakure no Sato**(6)**. It's one of the five great Hidden Villages, though, of course, the majority of its population is civilians."

I blinked in surprise. I'd been half joking with the "shinobi community" comment, but it seemed that I actually had hit the nail on the head.

"Huh, interesting," I mused aloud. "Are there more villages like that, or just that one?"

"There are many. The land is made up of numerous countries and they all have just one Hidden Village, though some, such as Nami no Kuni**(7a)**, have none. Right now we're in Hi no Kuni**(7b)**."

"And Konohagakure no Sato in the 'hidden village' of Hi no Kuni?" I ventured a guess.

"Yes."

I couldn't help but laugh once again. "Well that's kind of ironic. Fire burns leaves after all, right?"

Itachi didn't laugh--hell, I didn't think I'd ever even seen him crack a smile--but instead just shrugged. "That's just how it's always been."

I continued to grin. "Well then, what are the other countries? The main ones at least, I mean."

"Well," Itachi paused to think. "There's Kaze no Kuni which contains Sunagakure no Sato, Mizu no Kuni which contains Kirigakure no Sato, Rai no Kuni which contains Kumogakure no Sato, and Tsuchi no Kuni which contains Iwagakure no Sato**(8)**. Those are just the five main ruling countries although; there are many more and several more Hidden Villages."

I let out another snort of laughter. "See! All the other villages coincide with their countries! How come Konohagakure doesn't?" Itachi opened his mouth to respond, but I just waved him off. "I know, I know; it's just the way it's always been. I get the whole Hidden Village thing now though."

Itachi nodded in reply and then frowned, thinking. "How is it that you have no idea even what country you are in? We're in the middle of Hi no Kuni, which is just about in the middle of the continent. Where did you come from?"

"Eh, I kind of got...dropped off...here. I'm still not entirely sure exactly how that happened." I paused for a moment, not sure as to whether or not I should continue. Finally I decided that it would be best to test the extent of the knowledge of this world. "I'm from the Makai."

Instantly Itachi was on his feet and backing away from me. "I knew that something was off!" he exclaimed. "You're a youkai, aren't you?!"

I rolled my eyes. "Oh no, you've caught onto me and discovered my evil plan to eat your intestines," I said sarcastically. I paused then and began to ponder. "Why is it that you always hear about creatures eating people's intestines?" I mused. "Wouldn't that be the _last_ thing that they would eat? I mean, that's where all the shit is."

Honestly, I was intrigued by this new piece of information that Itachi had unwittingly given me. In the Ningenkai most people didn't know that youkai existed, let alone that the Makai did or what it was. This only solidified my belief that I was no where near the Makai, the Ningenkai, _or_ the Reikai.

My sarcasm actually seemed to calm Itachi down just a bit, although he was still wary. At least he wasn't running away again, though doubtless he wanted to.

"Look," I said with a sigh. "Yes, I'm a youkai, but, _no_, I'm not evil. Or a cannibal for that matter if that's what you're worried about. And yes, even though we're different species I would consider it cannibalism since I was raised as a ningen."

"Well forgive me if I haven't exactly had the best experiences concerning youkai," Itachi hissed out.

The fact that he'd had _any_ experiences with youkai was worrying, but I didn't comment on that. Instead I said, "Well you first need to understand the differences between low-class and high-class youkai then. Low-class youkai are ruled by their instincts and I agree are capable of little other than violence. High-class youkai, however, are often more intelligent--and sophisticated--than even most ningens. Due to their status, they also don't need to fight as much and are nowhere near as bloodthirsty, if at all."

As his fear abated, Itachi looked intrigued. "I...I've never heard about youkai society before."

I chuckled lightly. "Then I'll have to tell you more some time," I said with a grin. '_At least as much as I know from what I've been told in the past year..._' "But in the mean time, let's get back to the point that I was originally aiming for: Why is there a residue of youki hanging around you when you're so clearly human?"

Itachi flinched again. He looked hesitant to answer, but then sighed. "I suppose, if anyone, you'd understand it," he mumbled.

I looked at Itachi curiously, wondering what he meant, but said nothing. It seemed that in this situation it'd be best to let him tell me on his own.

Itachi took a big breath of air before speaking. "I-it's a long story," he began. "It actually started before I was born. You see, my family is the Uchiha clan, one of the oldest and most powerful shinobi clans of Konohagakure no Sato. However, over time, they've started to become more and more corrupt and power-hungry." I noticed that his voice had begun to turn bitter, but didn't comment on it. "Eventually they came up with a plan to get more power. They'd heard of beings called Jinchuuriki**(9)**. They are humans with youkai sealed within them, giving them the power of both themselves and the youkai."

I gasped and my hands flew to my mouth. A youkai sealed into a ningen? How horrible it must be to be imprisoned like that! My thoughts went to my friend Kurama. His situation was similar, except in his case his soul--the soul of Yoko Kurama--had willingly gone into the body of Suiichi in order to survive.

Even through my shock however the pieces of the puzzle began to come together. The youki around Itachi, his clan, the Jinchuuriki...

"They created their own Jinchuuriki," I murmured softly in realization. "...You."


	3. Chapter 2: The Jinchuuriki

A/N: Back again! Thanks to everyone who has reviewed! I'm really happy with the review turn out for this story. Anyways, this story goes a bit deeper into the concepts of the Naruto world, such as chakra. If anyone who doesn't know Naruto is having trouble understanding then please just let me know! I'll try to clear things up as best I can. Please read, review, and enjoy! Ja ne!

Disclaimer: I do not own Yu Yu Hakusho or Naruto. Kiara is owned by Yusuke'sSister.

Claimer: I do own the plot line, the Kuro Tournament, Kristy, Jason, Jessica, Chris, Bashere, and anything else related to them.

(1) - "_Shinigami_" means "Death God".

(2) - _Itachi_ means "weasel" in Japanese, so basically his father named him that because of the weasel youkai sealed with him.

(3) - Chakra is the energy that shinobi use to perform jutsu. It's kind of like reiki, chi, etc.

(4) - "_Taki no Kuni_" means "Land of Waterfall".

(5) - Doujutsu means "eye technique"

(6) - I have a picture of the sharingan. It's in my profile under this story title in the pics section.

"Talking"  
'_Thinking_'  
'_**Telepathy**_'

**Thanks to my beta reader, Anna Jaganshi.**

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Under A Bloody Moon

Chapter 2  
_The_ _Jinchuuriki_

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"They created their own Jinchuuriki," I murmured softly in realization. "...You."

Itachi nodded solemnly. "Some priests had captured a weasel youkai," he told me, continuing on with his story. "When I was only hours old my clan's seal mast sealed the youkai within me, sacrificing his own life to summon the Shinigami**(1)** to complete it."

I stared at Itachi in shock. The whole Jinchuuriki thing was a shock as it was, but it was the idea of this Shinigami that truly blew me away, and also gave me some hope. It meant that this world might have connections with the Reikai. Who knows, this "Shinigami" might even have been King Enma himself!

"That makes a lot of sense," I admitted. "The whole Jinchuuriki thing, I mean. And it's pretty cool too; you have both your own power and the power of your youkai to fall back on!"

"Yeah, but that's the only upside," Itachi said bitterly. "I'm very lucky because no one other than my clan knew that I was a Jinchuuriki. Usually ones such as myself are despised and feared for the youkai that we contain and, because we aren't as strong as the youkai, people can take it out on us.

"Though I was fortunate because few knew about my nature, it was bad enough with my clan knowing. I was nothing more than a weapon to them. My own father was the own who named me 'Itachi'**(2)**."

I shook my head sadly, feeling strong sympathy for these Jinchuuriki. Even youkai, violent as they were, didn't hate ningens enough to be so prejudiced against, for example, a youkai with a ningen sealed inside of them. It seamed that fear was indeed a powerful motive.

"So what's happened then?" I asked quietly after several minutes of silence. "You would have used youki recently for it to be hanging around you like it is. Not to mention that you're practically covered in blood..."

Deep sadness flitted across Itachi's face for a moment before his expression went dark with anger.

"It was _him_," he hissed out in fury. "After years of holding him back, the weasel youkai within me finally managed to take control of my mind. It was only for three days, but it was enough. The first thing that he did was to kill my best friend in order to activate the ultimate level of my clan's doujutsu. He then laid low for two days until, last night..." He took a large gulp of air. "He-- he completely massacred my clan. Even my parents. And most of them were just defenseless civilians!

"I managed to take control just as my little brother came home. He didn't know that I was a Jinchuuriki and I didn't want him to know, so instead I fed him some bullshit about how I did it to 'measure my capacity'. I--I didn't know what else to say to throw him off, but now..." He shivered. "...Now they're after me as a criminal, as a traitor to my own village. Kami-sama, what am I going to do? I many be considered a prodigy, but how am I going to hide from all of the ANBU, from all of the Hunter-nin...?!"

I saw that Itachi was beginning to panic so I quickly placed a hand on his shoulder. "Hey, don't worry," I said softly. "You could...you could...You could come with me! Yeah! I need to find out more about this world so that I can eventually leave and you need to hide, so why don't we travel together? What do you say?"

Itachi frowned thoughtfully. "Well..." he started hesitantly, "Y-you _are_ a youkai and I don't really have anywhere to go..."

"Then it's settled! You're coming with me!" I declared before Itachi could say anything else. I leapt to my feet and began walking in a random direction. "Come on, let's go!" Suddenly I paused and look back at Itachi, sweatdropping. "Umm...Which direction should we go in?"

I thought I saw amusement flash across Itachi's face, but it was gone so quickly that I could have imagined it. He stood up and glanced around the area, taking stock of where he was.

"Judging by the direction of the sun we're north of Konohagakure no Sato," he murmured. "So we need to keep moving north. We can head towards the border of Taki no Kuni**(4)**; we should be able to hide safely there. But first, it'd be best to take care of things here."

Under my curious eyes Itachi proceeded to clean up the campsite so that, eventually, it looked as though no one had been there in the first place, even to my own enhanced vision.

"_Sweet_," I said in awe. "You've _got_ to teach me how to do that!"

Itachi raised an eyebrow. "You've never been taught about tracking?"

"I'm not a shinobi," I pointed out. "I've probably learnt very different things than you, such as...other...things...than tracking, for one."

Itachi shrugged and walked past me. "Mmm. Now, should we travel in the trees or on the ground?"

"Well," I started to say I as I turned to face him, but before I could continue my mouth dropped open in shock at the sight before me: Itachi was calmly walking up the side of a tree. "Holy shit!" I exclaimed loudly. "How the hell are you doing that?!"

Itachi's head jerked around in surprise and he raised one eyebrow at me. "I'm guessing that chakra**(3)** control is another thing that you weren't taught...?"

I stared blankly at Itachi. "...Chakra?"

"Yes, chakra; life energy, you know?"

"Oh! You mean like Reiki! Kind of like how youki is the energy of youkai, where I come from reiki is the energy of ningens," I explained. "I'm guessing that chakra is your version of reiki."

"Close," Itachi replied. "We actually know of reiki here as well. It's our spiritual energy. Chakra, however, is made of a combination of _both_ spiritual energy and physical energy. So chakra is half reiki."

My eyes widened. Physical energy? As far as I knew there was no known way to harness physical energy, at least there wasn't where I was from. This world was becoming more and more interesting by the minute.

Itachi focused back on the tree in front of him. "What we shinobi do is release a small, constant steam or chakra to our feet--or hands, as the case may be. This causes us to stick firmly to the surface beneath us, to the point that we can even walk on the ceiling. It's also a good chakra control exercise."

"Damn, that sounds really useful," I said with a grumble. "I won't be able to do it though; youki manifests mainly in the form of elements rather than pure energy. It's too bad..." I let out a sigh, but quickly brightened. "I'll try the treetop path anyway though; it'll leave less of a trail, if one at all."

Within the next few minutes I was up in the air, leaping from branch to branch. It was _really_ awkward at first, but easy enough once you go the hang of it. It many respects, it was actually easier for me than it was for Itachi, despite his years of experience, because I had natural strength and speed on my side. For example, while he had to use chakra to lengthen his jumps, I was under no such handicap. I actually had to be careful not to put too much pressure into my jumps lest I accidentally break a branch.

For several hours we traveled in near silence, focused on the forest around us. I knew that Itachi didn't entirely trust me yet--we _had_ just met after all, and I _was_ a youkai--but he'd decided that his best choice was to go with me.

Quite suddenly however my ears picked up the sound of several people coming in our direction. More of those ANBU, if their speed was any indication. If we didn't move faster, we were going to get caught.

"Get on my back," I ordered Itachi firmly. He faltered slightly and stared strangely at me, but my eyes were facing the direction of the newcomers. "We need to get out of here. Now. Get on my back."

Itachi hesitated for only a minute before wordlessly nodding and getting onto my back. As soon as he was secured I nearly tripled my speed and began racing through the woods. I curved around the path that the other shinobi were taking and was soon far beyond them. As I felt my leg muscles begin to burn I knew that I wouldn't be able to hold top speed for very long, but I needed to get just a little bit further.

The sound of rushing water caused my ears to perk up. I slowed down a bit, and then came to a complete stop in front of a large river.

As soon as I stopped Itachi slid off my back. He stumbled around for a moment, looking decidedly pale.

"Don't go so fast next time," he groaned when he could finally speak.

I smiled sheepishly at the boy. "Sorry about that; there were some shinobi approaching our position so we needed to get out of there quickly."

Itachi just shook his head in exasperation, though there was a glint of awe in his eyes. "I didn't know that anything could move that fast, especially not without chakra enhancement. Are all youkai that fast?"

"Well, no, though in general youkai are faster than humans. I'm a specialist in speed though. There is one youkai, however, who's faster than me..."

'_Hiei..._' I though sadly. I couldn't help but wonder what my friends were doing at that moment. What had happened with the tournament? Did they miss me like I was beginning to miss them?

I was broken from my reverie by the sound of Itachi's voice. "We're near the border of Taki no Kuni now," he commented while eyeing the river. "That didn't take quite as long as I'd expected it to. If we travel north along the river we should eventually come across a town that I know of. We can get any supplies that we need there, and then we can make plans for what to do next."

I nodded my agreement and then flashed Itachi a grin. "Well then, shall we?"

--X--X--X--X--X--X--X--X--X--X--X--X--X--X--X--X--X--X--X--X--X--X--

The next day passed rather quickly. By late afternoon of the first day we'd reached the village that Itachi had mentioned. Itachi then used his super ninja stealth skills (my words, no his) to filtch some food. We made camp about five miles from the town that night.

Currently we were in the middle of nowhere, far from any towns or signs of life, climbing a mountain.

"Why are we doing this again?" Itachi asked blankly.

I paused in mid step to consider the question. "Well...For one, we should eventually get a good view of the surrounding area from up here. And two...Do we really have anything else to do right now?"

Itachi muttered something unintelligible under his breath before sighing. "Fine," he said shortly.

The two of us continued on in silence for several more minutes before my eyes suddenly picked something out of our surroundings. Instantly, I rushed over to it, Itachi trailing along behind me.

"A cave!" I exclaimed excitedly. "That's so cool! Why don't we check it out and see how far back it goes?"

"Kristy..." Itachi began with a sigh, but I was already entering the cave that I'd found, so he just let out another sigh and then reluctantly followed.

The cave, I found did go back quite far. So far in fact that eventually even I, with my wolf eyes, was beginning to have trouble seeing. In order to solve this problem I lifted one hand up before me and channeled some youki into it, effectively creating a ball of fire. It worked perfectly as a--literally--handheld torch, lighting up the area we were in.

Now it as Itachi's turn to be shocked by what _I_ could do. As soon as the fire appeared he leapt back away from me with wide eyes. He stared at the flame for a moment before gathering his wits and his composure. He snorted wordlessly and then turned his attention back onto the tunnel again. I flashed Itachi a grin and then pressed onward into the cave.

We walked for what seemed like hours through the twisting tunnel but never came to an end. I was beginning to wonder if it went all the way through the mountain. Finally, just when Itachi and I were about to stop, the tunnel like cave came to a dead end.

For a moment Itachi and I just stared at the jagged wall before us. His eye twitching slightly, Itachi turned to me.

"_This_ is what we came all this way for?!"

I scratched the back of my head and smiled sheepishly. "Eh, well--" Quite suddenly I stopped, noticing something in the wall. It was difficult to see because it blended in with all of all the shadows, but...

Stepping forward I ran a hand down the wall. Almost immediately my hand found a wide, but hidden, crack in the wall. Excitedly I slipped into the crack, which was just wide enough to move along sideways in. With a sigh Itachi followed after me.

We moved along for only a minute or so when sunlight appeared up ahead. After quickening my pace, I soon broke out of the small space and then immediately gasped in surprise.

Spread out before me was a large field, filled with trees, grass, and wildflowers. Apparently what everyone had thought was a mountain was really an inactive volcano. Over time this valley had formed here, in the middle of it. As I stared up at the cragged edges of the volcano that circled high above me, I realized that no one knew about it because no one was able to reach the top of the mountain.

Itachi breathed in sharply as he too came out into the valley. Turning to grin at him I noticed that the spot that we'd come out from was a barely noticeable crack in the side of the rock wall.

"This is perfect!" I exclaimed happily. "We can stay here and no one will be able to find us!"

Itachi's lips quirked upward into a smirk. "Yes," he agreed. "This is a great spot to hide. Perhaps that 'adventure' through the cave wasn't as pointless as it had originally appeared."

I stuck my tongue out at him playfully and then, with a laugh, ran out into the valley.

--X--X--X--X--X--X--X--X--X--X--X--X--X--X--X--X--X--X--X--X--X--X--

The next week passed rather quickly. Itachi and I had set up camp in the valley near a natural spring. We would go down into the nearby town for any supplies we needed, including a new shirt for me. One day an idea came into my mind.

"Let's spar!" I declared as I walked up to Itachi. Said boy blinked in surprise as he looked up from whatever he'd been doing.

"Huh?"

"Let's spar!" I repeated. "I don't really know what your capabilities are and you don't know mine, so this is the best way to find out."

Itachi smirked. "I guess that I'll have to use my sharingan against you, ne?"

I blinked. "...Sharingan?"

"Yes, my clan's doujutsu**(5)**."

I continued to stare blankly at Itachi, uncomprehending. "You've mentioned this 'doujutsu' before. What is it?"

"Uh..." For a moment Itachi stared at me in confusion, before abruptly remembering that I wasn't from this world.

"Oh, well, you see, some shinobi clans have special abilities passed down through their genetics. These abilities, called bloodlines, are capable of being unlocked only by members of their clan, except in very rare cases. My clan's bloodline is a doujutsu--eye technique--called the sharingan. As it is indeed a doujutsu it manifests itself in our eyes."

Itachi closed his eyes for a second, concentrating. When he opened them again his normally dark irises had turned crimson red and there were three tomoe**(6)** shaped pupils space around a normal central pupil.

"_Sweet_," I breathed out. "What does it do?"

Itachi's smirk widened. "Well, you'll just have to find out, won't you?"


	4. Chapter 3: The Weasel

A/N: Here's the next chapter! In this one you finally get to find out the background story for UABM, which will be what connects YYH and Naruto. You'll see what I mean (**grins**) Don't be surprised though if it takes me a little longer than usual to get chapter 4 out; I'm having trouble with writing the second half of the story right now. Well, please, read, review, and enjoy! Ja ne!

Disclaimer: I do not own Yu Yu Hakusho or Naruto. Kiara is owned by Yusuke'sSister.

Claimer: I do own the plot line, the Kuro Tournament, Kristy, Jason, Jessica, Chris, Bashere, and anything else related to them.

(1) - If you'll remember, Bashere has only been Battle Lord for seven to eight years, while Tasuki has been sealed away from thirteen years. Thus, it's seems impossible for him to know about Bashere.

(2) - _Nibi_ means "two tails", _Sanbi_ means "three tails", _Yonbi_ means "four tails", and _Gobi_ means "five tails".

(3) - _Rokubi_ means "six tails".

(4) - Genjutsu means illusion technique(s).

"Talking"  
'_Thinking_'  
'_**Telepathy**_'

**Thanks to my beta reader, Anna Jaganshi.**

--X--X--X--X--X--X--X--X--X--X--X--X--X--X--X--X--X--X--X--X--X--X--

Under A Bloody Moon

Chapter 3  
_The_ _Weasel_

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Itachi and I moved into a large, flat, open space near the middle of the valley. It was the perfect spot for a spar. We started the fight with just basic marital arts--or Taijutsu, as Itachi told me it was called here--, testing each other's strength. We quickly saw just how good the other was and began to get into the fight in earnest.

Before long Itachi was going full out and pulling out all the tricks he knew. I was pleasantly surprised by his abilities, though I did have to hold back on my speed and strength a bit--after all, he was a ningen while I was a youkai.

After almost a half an hour of constant fighting Itachi and I finally sopped, both of us panting heavily.

"You're good," Itachi conceded.

I grinned in reply. "You definitely are too. But..." Grin widening, I shot one hand out before me. Instantly shadows around Itachi rose up, wrapping around him. Itachi's face showed surprise for only a split second before it reverted to a strange and unnatural blankness. I really began to get worried however when his eyes began to flicker between showing the sharingan and being pure black with no white in them at all. At the same time, youki began to leak off of him.

In a few quick strides I was standing next to Itachi. My hand hovered over his shoulder for a moment; I wasn't sure whether or not it was safe to touch him, considering the youki.

"Itachi?" I said worriedly. "Itachi?"

He didn't respond. I debated with myself for a moment before taking a deep breath and doing the only thing that I could think of at the moment: I dove into Itachi's mind.

The first thing that I noticed within Itachi's mind was that I was standing in a massive stone room that stretched on in front of me into darkness. Like in all minds there was a strange unseen light allowing me to see my surroundings, but it didn't do too much good.

This whole situation was strange. I always first appeared in the halls of someone's mind, where their memories were. So where was I now...?

Hesitantly I began to walk forward, moving deeper into the room. Maybe Itachi's mind was just arranged differently or something. Before long I could see something ahead of me: There was a massive set of bars stretching across the width of the room. In front of the bars sat a large, hulking figure that was radiating youki.

As if sensing my eyes on them, the figure suddenly whirled around. I cursed under my breath as they began to bound towards me, revealing themselves to be a weasel youkai. He was interesting because he had a human-like form, but was covered in fur and had a snout-like face with lines just like Itachi's on either side of his snout. Six long, sleek tails fanned out behind him and is eyes were pure black, with no whites in them at all.

"Who dares to disturb me?!" the youkai roared.

I stood my ground against him as anger began to build within me. Here was the youkai who had forced Itachi to kill his family. Here was the youkai that had forced Itachi to leave his village. Here was the youkai who had caused the pain that I could still see lingering in Itachi's eyes.

"I do," I snapped in reply. I was going to give this youkai a piece of my mind and if I could defeat Bashere, then I certainly could stand up to this guy.

Surprised, the youkai stalked to a stop in front of me. "You--" he began and then abruptly cut himself off, staring in shock at me. Or, more specifically, at the left side of my face. "Th-that mark! You're the Battle Lord?!"

I blinked in surprise, not having expected him to recognize the mark. Did this mean that he was from the Makai? How did he end up here?

The youkai quickly sketched out a bow. "Forgive me, my Lord. I had not known who you were."

"Umm, it's fine," I said, shifting my feet uncomfortable. That sure had been a sudden change in his attitude. "I'm Kristy," I said awkwardly.

The weasel bowed once more. "I am Tasuki," he said and then paused. "...You defeated Bashere?"

I jerked in surprise. He knew of Bashere? How? Hadn't he been in the world for longer than Bashere had been Battle Lord?**(1)**

"Yes..." I said cautiously.

Tasuki let out a sigh. "It is as I feared then; Bashere _did_ succeed in becoming the Battle Lord." He grinned suddenly, revealing pointed teeth. "But not anymore. He's not anymore."

"How do you know of Bashere?" I questioned with narrowed eyes.

For a moment anger flashed across Tasuki's face, though it was not directed at me. "He's the one who sent me here," he replied quietly.

I breathed in sharply. Tasuki had been sent to this world by Bashere?! That meant that Bashere did have something to do with what had happened to me, though I'd already suspected as much. After all, this _was_ Bashere that we were talking about.

"Why?" I demanded. "Why did Bashere send you here? And for that matter, how?"

Tasuki took a moment to gather his thoughts before answering. It was quite clear that he was repressing emotion--mainly anger at Bashere.

"When I first met Bashere," Tasuki began, "I knew that he was a good fighter. But I also knew that he wasn't good enough to defeat me. At that time I and seven others were serving the Battle Lord of that time, Rokuro. We were kind of like body guards, though Rokuro-sama certainly didn't need it, and we were called the Biju, the tailed beasts, as we all had different numbers of tails.

"Things first started going downhill when the first and weakest of us, the Nibi, disappeared. We didn't think anything of it at first--she was prone to wander from time to time--but then the Sanbi disappeared as well. Within the next two weeks the Yonbi and Gobi**(2)** also disappeared and by the that time we were starting to panic. There were only three of us left and we still had no idea what was going on. There was no sign of the missing Biju, either alive or dead.

"It was then that I was approached by Bashere. I was wary because, as the Rokubi**(3)**, I was 'next', but he simply asked for a spar and I knew that I didn't have to fear him being able to defeat me. Strong as he was, he wasn't good enough to take down one Biju, let alone four. When we sparred it turned out just as I'd expected. Though Bashere was a bit more skilled than I'd previously thought he was, I still won. It was after the fight while I was tired however, that Bashere used a skill that I hadn't known he'd had.

"You see, Bashere is one of the few with the right amount of power and genetics to be able to create portals. All of the youkai lords can, but a simple psychic youkai? No one expected it. Bashere caught me from behind with what I can only describe as a liquid portal. It was almost like a wave of power that could transport you.

"When I arrived in this world I was so weakened and confused that a group of monks were easily able to capture me. I'm sure that you how that story ended." Tasuki let out a sigh. "I don't now what happened to the rest of the Biju or Rokuro-sama, but I can only assume that something similar happened with them. There is no way that Bashere could have beaten Rokuro-sama; he was the most powerful youkai in the Makai, having held position for almost half a millennium, an unheard of amount of time."

I stayed silent for several long minutes, turning over this new information in my mind. There was so much about the Makai that I didn't know, I realized. Why had I never thought to ask about how Bashere became the Battle Lord? Though I'd been so determined to feat him, I'd unconsciously put Bashere up on a pedestal as this great and powerful warrior. To know now that there were not many youkai who were so much more powerful than him...I had a long way to go skill-wise if I ever wanted to catch up.

There was one thing that as itching at the back of my mind however. Though I now completely understood about what had happened to Tasuki, what about what had happened to Itachi?

"Why did you kill Itachi's family?" I asked, voicing my thoughts.

Tasuki snorted. "They imprisoned me," he replied gruffly. "Away from my fellow Biju, away from my Lord, away from my _life_. When I had a chance, I took my revenge. Wouldn't you have done the same in my position?"

Though I stayed silent I was mentally disagreeing with him. Even if I'd been sealed away like that--and thank Kami that I hadn't been--I wouldn't have just massacred a bunch of people like that. Not all of them had known about the sealing, and even fewer had actually been a part of it. Plus, according to Itachi over half the clan had been defenseless civilians! I would say nothing of my opinion however because I _did_ understand why Tasuki had done what he'd done. Plus he'd been raised in the Makai, which made him infinitely more vicious than me.

"I'll help you," I promised quietly, but determinedly. "I'll get you out of here and back into the Makai. It's a win-win situation; you'll get out of here and Itachi will be relieved of his 'burden'." I grinned widely.

Tasuki stared at me in surprise before matching my grin with one of his own. "Thank you, my Lord," he said with another bow. "Thank you."

--X--X--X--X--X--X--X--X--X--X--X--X--X--X--X--X--X--X--X--X--X--X--

When I arrived back in my own mind Itachi still looked blank. Not a moment later however, the apathy was replaced with confusion as his eyes settled on the crimson red of his sharingan.

"Wha...?" he said in confusion.

I grinned at Itachi, suddenly feeling quite happy. "Hello Itachi-kun!" I chirped. "Sorry about that, but apparently Tasuki, the youki within you, reacted violently to the feel of my youki, so I had to go have a chat with him. He shouldn't be bothering you any more."

Itachi's eyes widened. "You--...I...he...Huh?"

I laughed in amusement at his expression before playfully ruffling Itachi's hair, shoving my hands in my pockets and walking away.

--X--X--X--X--X--X--X--X--X--X--X--X--X--X--X--X--X--X--X--X--X--X--

A week after I'd talked to Tasuki I was strolling around a large town on the border between Taki no Kuni and Tsuchi no Kuni. I was in the middle of a large, bustling market and fitting in surprisingly well.

A while ago Itachi and I had decided to build a permanent house in the valley. Because we didn't want anyone to be suspicious we were getting the materials and a building contractor--whose mind I would eventually wipe--from the other side of the country. I was the one who traveled the fasted, thus the reason why I was here alone.

As I walked around I marveled at the village. Since arriving in the world--had it really already been two whole weeks?--I had found that it was like a strange mix of ancient and modern Japan. People dressed traditionally and there were no cars or computers, but there _were_ many things that I associated with modern times, such as electricity and even TVs! It took a while to get used to, but I found myself liking it. It actually kind of reminded me of the Makai.

In the past week I'd also gotten some new clothes in order to help me fit in better. I was stilled wearing black pants and my black boots, but now I also had on a crimson red kimono-style top with black lining and a black obi. It reached down to my mid thighs, but was very easy to move in.

I also had an illusion over my face, hiding my "warlord" tattoo"--after all, it wouldn't be very inconspicuous to walk around with something like _that_. The whole "illusion" thing was actually pretty interesting. It came about when I'd seen Itachi performing a Genjutsu**(4)**, the shinobi branch of illusions. Fascinated by it as I'd been, I'd quickly experimented more with creating my own illusions using my psychic abilities. The end result was a mimic of Genjutsu that I could control very easily. It was done by placing a layer of psychic energy over my face which tricked people's minds into seeing something other than what was actually there, just like a Genjutsu.

Before long my meanderings brought me closer to the edge of town. I knew that I really should continue to look for a contractor, but I felt like just wandering around for a while.

Out of the corner of my eye I noticed something flicker. With a frown I turned to face the tree line, where the forest outside of the town began. There was nothing there however and I was just about to turn away again when the air around the trees suddenly flickered again. For a moment I felt a faint tugging on my mind, telling me to walk away, but I easily squashed the sensation. Instead, I began to quietly stride _toward_ the trees, determined to find out what was happening.

It was about 200 or so feet in that I got my answer: There was a confrontation. A squad of five ANBU was facing a single young man, who had his back up against a three.

The guy looked to be only about fifteen or sixteen. He had blonde hair that was held up in a pony tail with long bangs covering one side of his face. He was dressed as a shinobi and had a strange bandana around his head that had a metal plate on the part that crossed his forehead. The strangest part, however, was that I could feel faint amounts of chakra leaking off him.

As I watched, the ANBU began to close in on the boy. My eyes narrowed at them; I was really beginning to dislike these masked weirdoes. I knew that it was irrational and was only because of what had happened to Itachi, but that didn't change the way that I felt.

"Surrender now," one of the ANBU commanded, "And return with us to Iwagakure or forfeit your life."

The boy grinned almost cockily and began to slowly raise his arms up before him. "I choose option C!"

"Watch his hands!" one of the ANBU screamed. As the men jumped into action the blonde's grin widened further. It was then, without any warning, that the entire world around us seemed to explode.


	5. Chapter 4: The Missing nin

A/N: Eh, sorry about the wait for this chapter. The next one will probably take me a little while longer to get out too. This is half because I've got a bit of writer's block for this story right now, and half because I'm focusing a lot of my attention onto my story _Shards of Time_. I'm having so much fun writing that (**grins**) Anyways, please read, review, and enjoy! Ja ne!

Disclaimer: I do not own Yu Yu Hakusho or Naruto. Kiara is owned by Yusuke'sSister.

Claimer: I do own the plot line, the Kuro Tournament, Kristy, Jason, Jessica, Chris, Bashere, and anything else related to them.

(1) - Missing-nin is the term given to shinobi who have abandoned their Hidden Village. They are considered traitors and are hunted down because of the secrets they may hold. Basically they're "criminals" who ran away from their village.

(2) - Yonbi means four tails while Shichibi means seven tails.

"Talking"  
'_Thinking_'  
'_**Telepathy**_'

**Thanks to my beta reader, Anna Jaganshi.**

--X--X--X--X--X--X--X--X--X--X--X--X--X--X--X--X--X--X--X--X--X--X--

Under A Bloody Moon

Chapter 4  
_The Missing-nin_

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It was during this chaos, as fire and debris flew around me, that I came to a split-second decision. Using the technique that I'd been working on since first seeing Jason use it, I stepped into a section of deep shadows and, after only a moment of concentration, began to sink down into them. I reappeared out of the shadows of the tree behind the blonde boy. Wrapping my arms securely around his shoulders, I quickly pulled him back in with me.

As soon as we tumbled out onto solid ground somewhere on the other side of the town the teen leapt away from me, snarling. "What the hell?!" he gasped while looking around wildly.

"Sorry about that," I muttered. "But I needed to get you out of there and there was no time for warnings."

The blonde paused in his mad scrambling and finally turned to get a good look at me. He looked wary and ready to run at any second, but also curious.

"Who _are_ you? Why did you help?"

I grinned brightly. "Name's Kristy! It's nice to meet you. And I helped you because it looked like you needed helping." I paused for a moment, thinking about the youki that I'd felt earlier. "...You're a jinchuuriki, aren't you?"

"Hmm, I'm Deidara--" Abruptly, the teen breathed in sharply and then proceeded to gape in shock at me. "Wait, what?! H-how did you...!"

"I could feel the youki on you," I stated matter-of-factly. "This is so great though! I can't believe that I managed to find another jinchuuriki so quickly!"

Deidara's eyes narrowed. "_Another_ jinchuuriki? Do you mean to say that you're one yourself?"

"Oh no, not at all. But my friend, Itachi, is one."

"Itachi? As in _Uchiha_ Itachi?"

"The very one," I replied with a smile. "Do you know him?"

Deidara eyed me. "No...But I certainly know _of_ him. Such as that he massacred his clan not two weeks ago."

I found myself scowling briefly. "Itachi-kun _did not_ kill his family...His youkai did."

Deidara stared at me for another minute before finally nodding resolutely. "I _thought_ that there was something off. No teenage boy should be able to destroy his entire clan, genius or no."

Before our conversation could go any further, Deidara and I found ourselves facing the squad of ANBU, who had apparently managed to find us. They didn't waste any time issuing a warning this time, but instead just outright attacked.

With a sigh I turned to Deidara. "You don't mind if I take care of these guys, do you?"

"Be my guest!" the blonde yelped while scrambling backwards.

With a grin I turned my full attention onto the approaching ANBU. There were several ways that I could quickly take them out without harming them, but there was something else that I wanted to try.

The first thing that I did was to call up my shadows to wrap around the men. Surprised as they were, all except for one were caught. That one I quickly wrapped in a bind of psychic energy around him until the shadows could hold him still, and then released the first binding. Psychic energy didn't work very well as a bind for more than a few seconds; it was too fluid, too uncontrollable.

The final step was something that I'd never done before, but also something that I needed to practice with. I took a deep breath to help me concentrate and then left my body via astro projection. I then swiftly moved into the mind of the first ANBU.

Once I was in the halls of his mind, I quickly moved forward until I reached the door at the end. Unlike usually, this time I didn't go through that door. Instead I turned my attention onto the door along the hall that was closest to the end door. A quick glance inside showed that the door did indeed lead into the ANBU's most recent memories.

Gently, I closed the door and let out a sigh. Now came the tricky part, that that I wasn't so sure about: I needed to erase his memories up until that point where Deidara had caused the explosion. That was the reason why I'd had to use astro projection instead of just entering the man's mind; it was something that required quite a bit of energy.

I took a deep breath and thane placed one hand on the memory-door. As psychic energy gathered beneath my hand the door began to pulsate. I concentrated hard on the portion of the man's memories that I wanted to erase and then--

Abruptly, the door exploded. I attempted to shield my face with my arms, but quickly found that it wasn't necessary as nothing hit me anyway. The debris just...disappeared. I blinked my eyes in surprise and confusion and then stared on in shock as another door suddenly materialized in existence where the first one had been, replacing it.

I paused to frown fiercely at the door. What the hell? Why hadn't it worked? I'd been studying the mind recently and I'd been so sure that that would work...

Letting out a sigh I hesitantly opened the door once more. Maybe if I saw the part that I needed to erase again--

Suddenly I froze in surprise. The memories contained on the other side of the door didn't include what had happened after I'd taken Deidara away! They cut off after the explosion instead and, before my very eyes, the man's mind began to formulate the idea--and thus the memory--of him getting hit by some debris and falling unconscious.

A wide grin nearly split my face in two. This was perfect! Not only had I managed to erase the memories that I'd wanted to, but his mind was starting to fill in the blanks! I'd remembered hearing somewhere back in school that the human mind could do that, and now I had proof right before me.

When I pulled out of the man's mind I found that he had indeed fallen unconscious. The erasing of memories must do that to a person.

Still grinning gleefully, I proceeded to enter the minds of the other ANBU and wipe their memories as well. Once that was done I returned to my own body.

As I blinked open my eyes my first sight was of Deidara leaning over me. A concerned frown marred his tanned face.

"Hey," he said as he pulled me to my feet. "Are you okay? You just kind of collapsed after..." He gestured towards the ANBU, who were all slumped over in their bindings.

"Oh, don't worry about that; I was just taking care of their memories. I hope you don't mind that when they wake up they'll think that they were knocked out by your blast. They won't remember me at all."

Deidara took a moment to gape at me. "T-their memories?!" he exclaimed loudly. "What the hell?!"

I grinned widely. "Yep! All it takes is a bit of psychic aptitude...And intensive training in the arts of astral projection and sufficient energy to keep your body alive, but that's beside the point."

"Still," the blonde said while shaking his head in amusement, "That can't be normal. And it definitely wasn't in the form of jutsu."

"Of course not. Youkai abilities are quite different from jutsu."

Deidara cocked an eyebrow. "Youkai? But I thought that you said that you _weren't_ a jinchuuriki?"

"Hmm? Well it's true; I'm not."

"But then how--" Deidara started in confusion, only to cut himself off as he began laughing. "You can't _seriously_ expect me to believe that you're a youkai!"

I rolled my eyes in annoyance at his disbelief. "Oh no, of _course_ not!" I began sarcastically. "I'm just a normal non-shinobi fighter with the ability to control shadows and erase people's memories."

Deidara's laughter disappeared and a strange look crossed his face. "You mean you're really...? But, but, you don't look like--"

"--A seven foot scaly monster? Yeah, you'll find that many youkai--higher level youkai in particular--look quite human. Not to mention that I'm technically half-ningen, even though I'm a full-blooded youkai. It's a complicated situation."

I probably should have been a bit more careful about whom I revealed my heritage to, but Deidara was a jinchuuriki and technically was in my debt since I'd saved his life so I figured that it'd be okay. Plus, it was the only way that I could properly explain what had happened.

"Still..." Deidara murmured.

I rolled my eyes again. "Look," I muttered in annoyance. "What do you want? A fucking demonstration?"

Deidara grinned cheekily. "That'd be nice!"

Growling I lifted up one hand and a ball of shadow-flames sprang into existence there. Deidara jumped slightly in surprise at the sudden movement, but a grin quickly made its way to his face.

"Wicked!" he exclaimed. Despite myself I couldn't help but grin as well. "So..." Deidara said after a moment. "I'm guessing that that tattoo had something to do with you being a youkai?"

Surprised my hand involuntarily rose to my face. Crap! The illusion that I'd had on must have dropped when I left my body! ...Though, granted, it wasn't as if it mattered much now since it was just Deidara and I.

I smiled sadly, still touching the tattoo. "Yes," I replied. "It's...a mark. It signifies my status."

"As a warlord?" Deidara asked with a raised eyebrow.

My grin turned almost feral. "Mmm. As the Battle Lord of the Makai." Seeing Deidara's confused face I let out a laugh. "I'll explain it later," I told him while waving him off. "I actually still need to explain it to Itachi-kun. I'm surprised that he hasn't asked about it yet."

"That's right; you're with Itachi, aren't you? ...You wouldn't happen to have a secure place to hide then, would you?"

"Hmm?" I said, blinking in surprise. "Well, yeah. We're at a...place...where no one else can get into. I'd venture to say that it's _very_ secure."

Deidara's face broke out into a bright grin. "That's great!" he exclaimed. "You wouldn't mind if Sasori and I stayed with you then, would you? We need to hide from the law for a while..."

I paused, confusion making itself known on my face. "...Sasori?"

"Oh, right!" Deidara suddenly exclaimed while waving his arms around randomly. "Sasori is an old friend of mine whose been a missing-nin**(1)** _forever_. We've been traveling around together for the past few months, ever since I finally ran away from my village. He's staying in the town right now, at the hotel."

"And he's...?"

"A jinchuuriki? Yes. He holds the Yonbi while I hold the Shichibi**(2)**. I'm sure that he'll come with us once we've explained what's happened! After all, I do kind of owe you for helping me out and all..."

I waved Deidara's statement off. "It's fine, it's fine!" I said. "Now, let's go find this friend of yours, ne? We can start heading out before sun set then, after talking to him."

From there Deidara quickly led me back into the town and to a well-lit hotel. It was there, in one of the rooms on the upper floor, that we found this "Sasori".

As soon as we stepped into the hotel room its single occupant whirled around to face us. A snarl was on his face and his wary eyes were glued to me.

The man, Sasori, I guessed, looked to be around my age, perhaps just a year or two older. He had bright red hair that fell around his face in a style similar to Chris', and smoldering brown eyes.

Immediately, Deidara began waving his arms around. "Wait, wait, wait!" he exclaimed, hoping to forestall senseless violence. "It's alright! Let me explain everything first!"

Sasori's angry glare shifted onto the blonde. "Talk. Now."


	6. Chapter 5: The Valley

A/N: Ack! Sorry about the really long wait; I had some major writer's block. It's gone now though and in fact I'm almost finished with the 6th chapter (**grins**) This chapter is also a bit long than usual as a sort of apology. Please read, review, and enjoy! Ja ne!

Disclaimer: I do not own Yu Yu Hakusho or Naruto. Kiara is owned by Yusuke'sSister.

Claimer: I do own the plot line, the Kuro Tournament, Kristy, Jason, Jessica, Chris, Bashere, and anything else related to them.

(1) - Hunter-nin is the term given to shinobi who hunt down criminals and Missing-nin. They are special unit within the hidden villages and are sometimes considered to be a part of the ANBU.

"Talking"  
'_Thinking_'  
'_**Telepathy**_'

**Thanks to my beta reader, Anna Jaganshi.**

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Under A Bloody Moon

Chapter 5  
_The Valley_

--X--X--X--X--X--X--X--X--X--X--X--X--X--X--X--X--X--X--X--X--X--X--

The next day found Deidara, Sasori, and I dashing through the forest. We were headed for the valley where Itachi and I were staying.

Though at first Sasori had been very suspicious that I was some sort of hunter-nin**(1)** in disguise, but with some demonstrations I'd eventually managed to prove that I really was who I said I was. From there it'd taken a bit more convincing to get the redheaded shinobi to come with Deidara and I. He was still wary of me, but seemed to at least partially trust Deidara's judgment, if nothing else.

We were silent as we moved through the treetops. Even Deidara, whom I'd found to be an enthusiastic chatterbox, kept his thoughts to himself. For my part, I was excited. I'd managed to find two more Jinchuuriki! My plan to help Tasuki was already starting to fall into place. I wondered if I'd be able to speak with Deidara's and Sasori's youkai as well, to find out their sides of the story.

After nearly a full day of travel--we hadn't stopped for the night since it'd already been so late when we set out--we finally reached the entrance of the cave that led into the valley. Luckily we'd run into no more ANBU on the way. In fact, we'd managed to skirt human contact all together.

Deidara peered doubtfully into the cave. "This is where you're staying?"

I chuckled. "No, there's valley at the other end of the tunnel. You see, this mountain is actually an old, inactive volcano, though it's almost impossible to tell from the bottom of the base."

"Really?!" Deidara asked, his eyes instantly lighting up with curiosity. Even Sasori looked intrigued, though he didn't say anything.

As we entered the dark cave I suddenly paused and began to tap my tap my chin thoughtfully. "You know..." I said slowly. "I don't really feel like walking all the way down the tunnel--it's long, trust me--so why don't we try something...quicker..."

Both Deidara and Sasori stared at me with blank incomprehension for a moment before the blonde suddenly seemed to remember something. He began bouncing on the balls of his feet while smiling widely.

"Ooh ooh, are you going to do that shadow thing again?" he asked.

I matched Deidara grin for grin. "Of course!" I replied. "It'll get us there in an instant. I've never moved two people with me and never over such a distance, but it should be fine. And I won't know until I try, ne?"

With that I moved to rest my hands on the two missing-nin's shoulders, but Sasori instantly moved away before I could touch him. He then glared at me while crossing his arms in front of him.

"I've gone along with this so far," he said, "But do we know that you won't incapacitate us instead? Why should we trust you?"

Both Sasori and I ignored Deidara's immediate protest while matching each other's gazes.

"If I had wanted to kill you, don't you think that would have done so by now?" I said wryly. "And besides, what reason would I have to kill you?"

Sasori cocked an eyebrow. "Well, money, for one."

I blinked in surprise and quickly realized that, as missing-nin, Sasori and Deidara probably had bounties on their heads. Having no response to this, I instead shrugged.

"Well then," I replied, "I suppose that you don't really have any reason to trust me."

Sasori stared back at me for a moment. "...How the hell is that supposed to be reassuring?"

"It's not."

Sasori continued to glare at me for another minute before finally glancing away. I grinned then, knowing that I'd won the "argument", at least for now. Sasori would come with us.

Once again I placed my hands on Deidara and Sasori's shoulders, this time without a problem. I concentrated for a moment in order to gather up the massive youki that I would need. The world around us shifted for a moment and then, quite suddenly, we found ourselves stumbling forward from the shadows near the edge of the valley. While I panted a bit, the other two looked around us with surprise.

"No harm done, eh?" I commented dryly between breaths.

Deidara shook his head like a wet dog. "I will _never_ get used to that sensation," he muttered while glancing back at the shadows we'd come from. "It's like moving through water, only the water is solid and you can still breathe. It's just plain _weird_."

Sasori let out a snort. "Very...eloquently...put."

As Deidara pouted at the redhead and I laughed I suddenly caught sight of something on Deidara's hand. Frowning, I peered closer at it.

"What_ is_ that?" I finally asked.

"Huh?" Deidara said before noticing what I was looking at. "Oh this?" A large grin came to the boy's face as he lifted up both his hands, palms toward me, to show me.

To my complete shock I found myself staring at two mouths, one on each of Deidara's palms. _Mouths_; teeth, tongues, and all. As I stared on in shock--and, I must admit, a bit of horror--the tongue came out of one of the mouths as if searching for something.

Just moments later Deidara broke into hysterics at the expression of my face. "Y-you should have seen--!" he managed out as he held his stomach while laughing. I wanted to be annoyed at him, but all I could do was shiver.

"What the hell _was_ that?" I demanded once the blonde had calmed down.

Deidara grinned widely. "Jinchuuriki generally have some kind of trait from their youkai. Mine just happens to be these mouths. They're actually very useful; they produce bombs."

Curiosity overrode my disgust. "Bombs? So that's how you took out those ANBU back when I first met you, right? But...why mouths? Do you have to feed them or anything?"

"No, I don't; they're just kind of there," Deidara answered. "And I'm not really sure _why_ they're there. Maybe the youkai was born with some genetic defect...?"

As we continued to chat we began to walk further into the valley. Just as we were approaching the center of the valley, where Itachi and I were staying, Itachi suddenly stepped into view. His katana was held loosely in one hand and a ferocious glare was on his face.

Though he said nothing, Itachi's dark eyes bored into my own, demanding an explanation. I was quite surprised to see that there was actually a touch of _fear_ in his face, though he hid it very well.

I, however, simply grinned at the young boy. Said shinobi then blinked in surprise and his eyes moved to my two companions.

"Guys, this is Uchiha Itachi," I said clearly to Deidara and Sasori. "Itachi-kun, this is Deidara and Sasori." I paused then, my grin widening. "...They're both jinchuuriki." Instantly Itachi's eyes snapped back over to the other two. Extreme surprise showed on his face, as well as more than just a little suspicion.

Chuckling, I moved over next to Itachi and slung an arm over his shoulders. "I found them near the border of Earth Country. Deidara had run into a bit of trouble with some ANBU, so I helped them out. They need to lay low for a while--as Deidara is only newly a missing-nin--so I offered to let them stay with us. Is that alright with you?"

I expected Itachi to at least answer my question, be it positive or negative, but instead he just pinned me with a dry stare. "And you didn't get a builder, did you?" he asked.

I sweatdropped. "Um...no?"

"Figures," Itachi said with a sigh. He turned around then and began walking away.

"'Figures'?" I echoed. "What's that supposed to mean?" I began to quickly stride after Itachi. "Itachi? Itachi, wait! Itachi!"

"Builder?" Deidara asked from behind me. I paused in my chase to turn back around to him.

"Um, yeah. Since Itachi and I are staying here in this valley we decided that it'd be best to have an actual house to stay in. Neither of us has any knowledge in building though, so..."

Deidara blinked in surprise. "That's...actually a good idea. But do you really want someone else to know about this valley?"

I grinned toothily. "I never said that they had to _remember_ helping us out."

"So you're going to force someone to help you and then basically leave him with no money?" Sasori asked with a dark grin and a quirked eyebrow.

"Oh, I'll pay the guy," I replied. "He just won't be able to remember where the money came from. It wouldn't be fair otherwise."

"And where, pray tell, are _you_ going to get the money from?"

My grin faltered at that. "Uh, that's kind of where I'm stuck..." I answered while sweatdropping and awkwardly scratching the back of my head.

We fell into silence for a moment before Deidara abruptly began jumping up and down. "Ooh! Ooh! I have an idea!" he exclaimed. "Sasori, Itachi, and I are all high-level youkai, right? And you're a youkai, right? So then why don't we perform some missions as freelance shinobi? We can charge less than the Hidden Villages do so that they'll choose us over them!"

Now it was my turn to blink in surprise; I'd never thought of doing that. But, granted, I _was_ new to this world and all things shinobi. Quickly, excitement grew within me as the possibilities of this idea made themselves present in my mind.

"Yes, yes!" I said happily. "That'd work perfectly! It's a great way to get money _and_ it's sort of a way to train as well!"

Sasori didn't join in with mine and Deidara's enthusiasm. "Why the hell should I put myself at risk to help you?" he asked with a frown.

I gave the redhead a piercing glare. "Perhaps because I'm helping you out by even bringing you here? Plus you'll not only be helping Itachi and me but you as well. Or would you rather sleep on the ground than in a house?"

Sasori scowled at me, but made no other reply. Grinning, I turned back to where Itachi had gone.

"Itachi-kun!" I called while running off. "Guess what!"

--X--X--X--X--X--X--X--X--X--X--X--X--X--X--X--X--X--X--X--X--X--X--

With a sigh I let my head fall back against the tree behind me. My eyes closed only momentarily before opening again to survey the scene before me.

I was currently resting against a tree near the center of the Valley. In said center was a mess of wood that appeared to be the beginnings of a large building. And indeed that was exactly what it was.

It'd been a month since I'd first met Deidara and Sasori and since then a lot had happened. We'd eventually managed to get in contact with a builder who was okay with working with semi-shady characters. He'd worked out a blueprint for our new home with the four of us and had now started the actual building.

The house that we'd finally decided on building was going to be big. As in manor-house big. Since I was aiming to bring all seven of the Biju together we needed those seven bedrooms and bathrooms, plus extras in case anyone else joined us, _plus_ a kitchen, large living room, a couple sparring rooms, and several large storage rooms. ...Yeah, big.

The first problem that arose in connection with the building project was how to get the building materials into the Valley. After a bit of internal debate, I'd finally agreed to use shadows to transport everything. I currently had the builder convinced that it was a transportation jutsu--which, _technically_, it was...kind of...ish...

The second problem had been the need for more workers. After all, one man, no matter how skilled, can't build a house on his own, and especially not one so large. It'd taken quite a bit of debating between Itachi, Sasori, Deidara, and I before we'd finally agreed to allow more people--specifically one of the builder's teams--into the Valley. It was risky, yes, but also necessary. Their memories would also be erased as well, of course, and one of us was always watching them to make sure that they didn't run off or tell anyone about the Valley before their memories were erased.

One very good thing that came from using my shadows so much to transport people and things was that I quickly found myself able to control it better. The transitions from place to place got easier and I was slowly being able to transport more things and farther than I'd ever been able to before. The skill was like a muscle; the more I used it, the stronger it became.

It was at that moment, while I was relaxing, that Itachi landed softly on the grass next to me. Smiling, I looked up at him from my spot on the ground.

"Itachi-kun," I greeted. "There you are. Have Deidara-kun and Sasori-san returned yet?" Itachi mutely shook his head and I sighed in response. "Ah, of course not. I feel so alone!"

Itachi let out a quiet snort in response to my dramatics. Catching sight of the small smirk that flashed across his face, I let out a grin of my own.

"I saw that!" I said in a sing-song voice. "Now I just need to get you to laugh!"

Itachi scowled briefly at me, which caused me to break up into laughter. With a huff Itachi then began to stalk over to the builders. I just continued to laugh as he left though; both of us knew that I was making progress on getting him to show more emotions and he didn't like it one bit.

Deidara and Sasori were indeed gone at the moment. Out on a mission, actually. After Deidara's suggestion a month ago we'd started to take on missions--often assassination or protection--in order to make some money. Or, rather, Itachi, Sasori, and Deidara would take on mission. I was required to stay in the Valley at all times as I was the only person who could transport people in and out.

We'd decided that there would always be two of us together on a mission. Not only would this ensure a higher success rate, but it'd be safer in case any ANBU happened to come across us. Within the short time since we'd started taking on missions we'd also already gather a pretty good amount of money. With any luck we'd have more than enough by the time that the house was finished.

Standing up, I stretched my back to work the kinks from my muscles. I glanced over at the section of the wall where the cave exited into the Valley and was surprised to see a hand sticking through. A moment later it was followed by the rest of the body and then a bob of blonde hair.

Deidara.

Grinning, I raced over to where Deidara and Sasori were now standing and leapt onto Deidara's back. Though he was several years younger than me, he easily held my weight, short as I was. Once my arms were secured around his neck I leaned over his shoulder so that I could see his face.

"Hello Deidara-kun! Sasori-san!" I chirped. "How'd things go?"

"It was easy, of course!" the blonde shinobi replied with a grin of his own. "How about things here? Any progress?"

"Eh," I said while scratching my head. "I think so, but I don't really know. I don't know shit about building, after all..."

As we continued to chat--brining Sasori into the conversation as much as we could--we slowly drifted further into the Valley. Eventually we reached an open area which we tended to use as a training ground. Indeed, at this moment Itachi was there, running through some katas.

As I paused to watch Itachi fight his invisible opponent, I remembered the first time that I'd spoken to Tasuki, the youkai sealed within him. Or rather the only time that I'd spoken to him; I hadn't been able to do so again yet. That sparked an idea in my mind and I abruptly turned to Deidara and Sasori.

"That's right!" I exclaimed. "I haven't gotten a chance to speak with your youkai yet! Would you mind if I did so now? They might be able to tell me more about their situation."

Deidara stared blankly at me. "Huh?"

I rolled my eyes and sighed in exasperation. "Remember how I told you all about how the Biju came here? And about the Kuro Tournament and how _I_ came here? It was the same time when I explained to Itachi about what the mark on my face means. Anyway, I found out all about the Biju by talking to Tasuki, the youkai sealed inside of Itachi. If I talk to the youkai inside both of you as well, then I might be able to piece even more of the puzzle together."

While Deidara made a sound of understanding, Sasori frowned. He wasn't glaring, for once, but neither did he look too happy.

"So you're going to enter our _minds_ then?" the older shinobi asked.

"Yeah, sorry. If it makes you feel any better, I'll do Deidara first."

"Oi!" Deidara squawked indignantly. "You're both so willing to sacrifice me, just like that? It's because I'm the youngest, isn't it!"

Surprisingly, both _Sasori_ and I rolled our eyes in response. "Actually, Itachi is the youngest," I replied dryly.

Deidara paused to think. "He's the youngest of us and you've already gone into his mind...So _he's_ the sacrifice!" Deidara began laughing insanely then while Sasori and I stared on, not quite able to follow his strange logic.

"_Riiight_," I said slowly. "Anyways, let's begin, shall we?"

"Do we need to sit down or anything?" the hyperactive blonde asked once he'd calmed down.

"...I was going to say no, but that's actually a good idea. When I did this to Itachi his youkai had a bad reaction to my youki...But don't worry; this will be over in just a second."

By the time all of us were settled I was sitting facing Deidara. I closed my eyes then, focusing on entering my friend's mind. It only took a moment for me to do so and I soon opened my eyes to the inside of Deidara's mind.

Unsurprisingly the room I was in was just like the one in Itachi's mind. Three stone walls were around me and impenetrable darkness stretched out before me. With an inaudible sigh, I began to walk forward; the youkai would be in here _somewhere_, doubtless near those strange cage bars...


	7. Chapter 6: The Mindscape

A/N: And now the chapter that you've all been waiting for! Well, actually, that chapter is probably the one where Hiei will be reintroduced, but that's not the point. I think that you'll enjoy this chapter anyway. I also relieve that there are a lot of youkai in this story, and that it may be hard to remember them all. As such, starting with the next chapter I'll be listing the names, types, jinchuuriki, etc of all the Biju currently known.

Also, you've doubtless noticed by now that this story _will_ be AU in the Naruto universe. Extremely AU. I'll be taking out entire people and events (such as Uchiha Madra, for one) and changing things as I go. This is actually good for those of you who have never seen/read Naruto, as you'll be secure in knowing that much of the events that'll be going on will be completely new to the other readers as well, not just you.

Just to let everyone know, I've also recently started working on the rewrite of OTAL that I've been meaning to do for a while. Please note that I'm not just fixing it up but _completely_ rewriting it, from start to finish (though I'll probably keep most of the later chapters). The rewrite will follow basically the same plot as the first version, though some things will be changed in order to fill in some glaring plot holes. I'll most likely put the story up on Monday or so and will post chapters as I finish them. So if you have the time, look for it! I promise it'll be a whole lot better than the first version as my writing has changed quite a bit over the past few years (**grins**).

Please read, **review**, and enjoy! Ja ne!

P.S. (_Wow, long A/N..._): Do you think that I should fully write the battle referred to at the end of the last chapter? I'm still debating whether I should or if I should just get on with the storyline...

Disclaimer: I do not own Yu Yu Hakusho or Naruto. Kiara is owned by Yusuke'sSister.

Claimer: I do own the plot line, the Kuro Tournament, Kristy, Jason, Jessica, Chris, Bashere, and anything else related to them.

(1) - Hunter-nin is the term given to shinobi who hunt down criminals and Missing-nin. They are special unit within the hidden villages and are sometimes considered to be a part of the ANBU.

(2) - Hachibi means eight tails.

"Talking"  
'_Thinking_'  
'_**Telepathy**_'

* * *

Under A Bloody Moon

Chapter 6  
_The Mindscape_

* * *

As I walked, all I could hear was the echoing of my footsteps against the cold stone floor. That reminded me of something else I wanted to learn from Itachi: the ability to walk without making any noise. Itachi, Sasori, and even _Deidara_, could do that.

Abruptly I heard the whisper of noise up ahead. I froze in place instantly, but just as quick as it'd come, it disappeared. I continued to waiting, straining my ear to hear something, _anything_, but there was nothing. Then, just when I was about to move on, my instincts began screaming at me to move.

Without hesitation I threw myself to side. It was not a moment too late either, as just then a figure sailed through the spot where I'd been and landed in a crouch behind me. While I spun around to face the newcomer, I reach for the hilt of one of my katana. When I found nothing there I began to curse mentally; I'd forgotten that I was in a mindscape.

Instead of pulling a weapon I then did the only thing that I could think of in such a situation: I abruptly increased the amount of youki that I was channeling into Deidara's mind. Instantaneously let out a hiss and shied back.

"Please," I said quickly, "I just want to talk. I mean neither you nor Deidara any harm."

While the figure blinked several times in rapid succession--doubtless to clear away the spots that were dancing before his eyes from the sudden light change--I managed to get a good look at them. The youkai was clearly male, though of what animal type I wasn't sure. He had a fairly thin build, though he was covered with bulky muscle. He was taller than me of course, but surprisingly not by much.

The youkai's head was covered in short, dark brown hair and a pair of animal ears rested there. Though I could swear I'd seen those ears before, I'd be hard-pressed to name which animal they came from. The youkai also had hazel brown eyes and there was a thick, dark stripe of color across the bridge of his nose, from cheek to cheek. He was wearing only a pair of loose black pants that tied at the ankles, leaving his upper torso and feet bare. Seven sleet, dark brown tailed waved almost lazily behind him.

As soon as the youkai could se properly again his slitted eyes narrowed on me. Though his eyes did momentarily linger on the tattoo on my face, he quickly dismissed it. His lips peeled back as he snarled, revealing rows of sharp teeth.

"What do you want?" he growled.

I lifted my hands up in placating gesture. "Just to talk. I'm a friend of Tasuki's."

The youkai looked torn between relaxed by this gesture and even more agitated. In the end however all of the tension drained out of him and his shoulders slumped. He might even have sighed, but I couldn't tell.

"I knew he'd gotten taken. Though we figured it all out too damn late."

It took me a moment to realize what he was talking about. After a moment however I remember what Tasuki had told me: Being the seven-tailed Biju, this youkai would have been one of the last ones to be taken down by Bashere.

"I'm Kristy," I said finally. "I'm the new Battle Lord of the Makai."

The youkai snorted. "That means little to me," he said dismissively, "As Rokuro-sama's position was taken from him without his defeat." He paused to eyes me thoughtfully. "What are you doing here anyway? I'd be under the impression that this was a world separate from the Makai, Reikai, and the Ningenkai."

"It is. I, ah, ran into a bit of trouble concerning Bashere."

The youkai raised an eyebrow in response, but asked no questions. For several long moments he kept his silence before finally opening his mouth once more.

"I am Sadao," he grunted out grudgingly.

Though I wasn't sure why, Sadao seemed to greatly dislike me. Maybe it was because I was now the Battle Lord; after all, it wasn't like I'd ever done anything to him to make him hate me...Well, except for nearly blinding him earlier...

"So, what did happen to this Rokuro?" I found myself asking curiously.

Sadao's glare shot up several notches and he stared venomously at me for a minute before finally looking away. He stayed quiet for several minutes, to the point that I thought that he wasn't going to answer. When he finally did speak his voice was unusually soft, though it easily carried across the distance between us.

"I don't know," Sadao admitted. "Directly after Bashere targeted Tasuki, we managed to figure out what he'd done. Rokuro-sama was absolutely furious--and rightly so--and he immediately went after Bashere. Unfortunately by that time Bashere had already found out from a spy that his deeds had been uncovered and he and the traitor disappeared.

"Rokuro-sama spent the next five years searching the entire Makai for Bashere. He never found him. Rather, Bashere laid a trap for Rokuro-sama, Nobuo--the Hachibi**(2)**--, and I. Any one of us would have been able to defeat him, but he had those accursed portals on his side. I was whisked away from the fight before it even began.

"For all these years I've expected that Rokuro-sama killed Bashere. After all, he was the most powerful youkai in the Makai and the only way a simple portal could take him out--or even work on him, for that matter--is if he'd been severely weakened first. That's not something that Bashere could accomplish, and especially not with Nobuo there. The moment I saw you, however, I knew the truth. There is no way that you, with your meager power level, could have defeated Rokuro-sama. Bashere, on the other hand, you are perhaps a match for. It is clear now that Bashere did indeed manage to take out Rokuro-sama and Nobuo, though I'm not sure what trick he used to do so."

I scowled briefly as Sadao's comment on my power; I though that I was quite powerful, thank you very much! ...Though, granted, in comparison to the two Biju that I'd met so far I actually wasn't all that great. It made me shiver to think of the kind of power that this Rokuro-sama must have to be able to command such respect from these youkai.

"There's just one thing," I said after a minute of contemplation. "According to Itachi--the human that Tasuki is sealed within--youkai can only be sealed into newborns. But if your story is correct then Deidara would have been seven when you were sealed."

Sadao let out a snort. "Just because only one technique is known to you doesn't mean that it is the only one. As far as I know I was sealed by an old seal master who managed to separate my youki from this 'Deidara's' reiki. If he hadn't it would have killed the boy, but because he did we can coexist.

"Because our energy didn't mix he did not receive the physical attributes that humans would usually get when exposed to youki. For example, the human most likely would have gotten the stripe across my nose as it's something that's common amongst badger youkai. However, at the last moment I was able to push some of my youki out of where the seals were placed on his palms. It was an, ah, _gift_." As he finished Sadao smiled darkly and flashed me his palms; two strange mouths resided there on him as well.

I nodded absently while pondering over this new bit of information. He was a badger youkai I also noted. I never would have guessed that.

After several minutes Sadao began to grow impatient. "Is there anything else that you need?" he asked sarcastically.

"Er, no. Thanks."

"Then get out!" he abruptly snarled. I jumped in surprise at the tone. I opened my mouth then to protest, but upon seeing the anger and annoyance on his face decided against it. Gathering up my youki, I pushed myself from Deidara's mind.

As soon as I returned to my senses in my own mind I blinked rapidly several times. Deidara sat before me, curiosity and apprehension etched onto his face.

"Well that was an...interesting conversation," I commented lightly while stretching my arms above my head.

Deidara blinked in surprise. "That...was it? But you only just closed your eyes for a few seconds!"

I gave him a wide smirk. "I told you that it wouldn't take long; time in the mind works differently." I turned then so that I was facing Sasori. "Now it's your turn. And don't worry; you won't feel a thing."

Grudgingly Sasori nodded. I could tell that he was still uncomfortable with this whole situation, but he wasn't going to resist. Once more I closed my eyes and then opened them to the inside of Sasori's mind. Not surprisingly, it looked just like Itachi's and Deidara's; it must be a jinchuuriki thing. Immediately I began to stride purposefully into the darkness, intent on finding this next youkai.

Fortunately this time I was not attacked. Rather I almost reached the giant bars when I saw a form standing before them, muttering to himself. I slowed to a stop and then took a moment to study him.

The youkai was short, even by my standards. Plus he had a hunched back, which only made it worse. Though it was somewhat difficult to tell because he was covered by a thick black cloak, he also looked to be pretty stocky. His most distinguishing feature, however, were the four long scorpion tails behind him, stingers and all. After a moment, when the youkai still didn't notice my presence, I cleared my throat to get his attention--

--And instantly had to dodge four tails slamming down on my position.

"Oi, oi, oi! Hold up!" I exclaimed from where I'd rolled to my feet.

The scorpion youkai let out a feral snarl, though I couldn't really see it: The lower half of his face was covered with a bandana and his shaggy auburn hair fell into his eyes. As soon as the youkai caught sight of me, however, his face changed into a shocked expression. He lowered into a bow which he did not raise from.

"Forgive me, my Lord," he said humble. "I did not mean to attack you. I reacted on instinct."

"Ah, it's fine! It's fine!" I replied quickly. "Really. I would have done the same thing." I paused awkwardly. "Um...I'm Kristy. The new Battle Lord, as you can tell."

"I am Kenta," the youkai replied. He finally raised his head and eyed my curiously. "Forgive me, Kristy-sama, but...You do not look as though you could have defeated Rokuro-sama."

For a moment all I could do was stare. Rokuro? Why in Kami's name did Kenta think that I'd defeated _Rokuro_? I'd never even met him! As quick as my confusion came however, it disappeared: Kenta had been targeted by Bashere long before Rokuro had found out what was going on so, like Tasuki, Kenta didn't know about what'd happened.

I let out a sigh and ran a hand through my silver hair. "That's...not exactly what happened," I said finally. I then took a deep before launching into a long explanation of what'd happened to the Biju and to me.

* * *

When I finally returned to the "real world" I let myself fall back into the grass with a sigh. I was completely exhausted form this experience, not physically but mentally. After a moment Deidara's head popped into my view as the blonde hovered over me.

"So how'd it go?" he asked. "Did you learn anything?"

"Lots," I replied, "Though I still don't know about what happened to Rokuro, the Battle Lord the Biju served under. It seems that only Nobuo, the eight tails, or Rokuro himself will be able to answer that...You know what's weird though? Sadao, the youkai inside you, acts like Sasori while Kenta, Sasori's Biju acts more like you. Though with a whole lot less energy."

Deidara grinned. "That's 'cause I'm just that awesome," he agreed.

I rolled my eyes in response. Then, after a minute, I pushed myself up into a half sitting position, resting on my elbows.

"Hey, Sasori," I began. The redhead grunted in reply but did not open his now closed eyes. "What attributes did you get from Kenta? You don't look anything like him."

For a long moment Sasori didn't even move. Finally he slowly opened his eyes, though he did not raise them to meet my gaze.

"Poison," he said softly. "I can cause poison to seep from my pores. It causes instant death upon contact."

I whistled lowly. "That must have been hell to control at first."

Sasori's face turned cold and I instantly knew that I'd unknowingly hit a sore spot. "Yes," he growled. "It was."

Desperately, I cast around for another topic. "So, um, do you want to spar?"

Sasori was momentarily surprised by my sudden question. He quickly recovered however and responded with a "why not" shrug, while a small smirk crept onto his face. I leapt to my feet with a large grin and quickly strode over to the center of the training field. As soon as he noticed what I was doing, Itachi moved over to the sidelines to watch.

Sasori followed me into the training field. I watched him move from the corner of my eye, knowing that I'd have to be careful; while I may be a youkai, Sasori was still a highly trained shinobi with several years more fighting experience than me. I had also found out not too long ago that Sasori was actually a puppet specialist. At first I'd been completely confused as to what this meant, but as soon as I learned to truth I realized just how deadly the redhead could be.

Sasori was one of the rare few who had mastered the ability to control life sized "puppets" with small, invisible strings of chakra. It was a deadly technique because it meant that at all time he had many different "puppet shinobi" to back him up. And because they were so incredibly lifelike, it was often hard to tell that they were puppets. _Plus_, Sasori could currently control almost 50 puppets at one time...Yeah, he was good.

My grin widened further. Now I was _really_ starting to look forward to this fight.


	8. Chapter 7: The Seals

A/N: I absolutely loved writing this chapter, especially the end (**grins**) And because I just _know_ someone is going to ask, _no_, there's nothing going on between Sasori and Kristy. It's just Deidara's twisted mind. You'll see what I'm talking about (**smirks**) Oh, and you'll notice that I'm changing the lines that I'm using. That's because I've gotten really fed up of the lines that FF has not working and having to go back and put them in again, and again, and again. So now we have these. One last thing I want to comment on is that this chapter _might_ be a little confusing because it contains some new concepts. If anyone doesn't get it, please let me know! Well, please read, REVIEW, and enjoy! Ja ne!

--Oh, and just before the story starts I have the list of Jinchuuriki and their youkai. I hope that helps!

Disclaimer: I do not own Yu Yu Hakusho or Naruto. Kiara is owned by Yusuke'sSister.

Claimer: I do own the plot line, the Kuro Tournament, Kristy, Jason, Jessica, Chris, Bashere, and anything else related to them.

(1) - Hunter-nin is the term given to shinobi who hunt down criminal and Missing-nin. They are special unit within the hidden villages and are sometimes considered to be a part of the ANBU.

(2) - Hachibi means eight tails.

"Talking"  
'_Thinking_'  
'_**Telepathy**_'

_Jinchuuriki - Youkai name - # of Tails - Youkai type  
_Itachi - Tasuki - six/Rokubi - weasel  
Deidara - Sadao - seven/Shichibi - badger  
Sasori - Kenta - four/Yonbi - scorpion  
unknown - Nobuo - eight/Hachibi - unknown

**Thanks to my beta reader, Anna Jaganshi.**

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Under A Bloody Moon

Chapter 7  
_The Seals_

--X--X--X--X--X--X--X--X--X--X--X--X--X--X--X--X--X--X--X--X--X--X--

It took many months after my spar with Sasori for the house to be completely finished. By the time the year anniversary of my arrival in this world had rolled around, we'd completely settled in and the builders had been sent off with their memories several months lighter but their pockets several pounds heavier.

On that day in the beginning of summer, I kneeled before a small stone shrine that I'd built in honor of my brother. Though I couldn't believe it, it'd already been more than a year since he'd been killed. A whole year...Kami, it seemed like only an instant since we'd been fighting in the Kuro Tournament.

With my head hanging down, I stared solemnly at the ground beneath me. Even just two years ago I'd been so immature. I'd known nothing of youkai back then and, really, nothing of the world. Then, in the blink of an eye, everything changed. Unshakable truths became lies and lies revealed their truths. It was a miracle I'd stayed sane, I realized now, when my entire world had been turned on its head.

Just within the past year so much had changed. I hadn't seen any of my friends in so long, though it seemed like just yesterday that we'd been fighting alongside each other. I'd become good friends with Itachi and Deidara though, and was even getting along with Sasori. I'd also spoke to the Biju several more times, though mainly to Tasuki--Sadao still seemed to hate my guts and I'd be lying if I said that Kenta didn't creep me out just a little.

Other than that I'd been settling into life here pretty well and was training almost all the time. It was disappointing that I hadn't managed to find anymore youkai, but I hadn't given up hope yet; after all, I'd promised to find them all before I found a way to get back to the Makai.

Soft footsteps behind me alerted me to someone's approach. I made no move to acknowledge them, even as a pair of sandal-clad feet stopped next to me. The person--Itachi I noticed from the corner of my eye--slowly lowered himself until he was kneeling as well.

"He was your brother, right?" Itachi asked softly.

For a long moment I didn't say anything. Then, without consciously willing myself to, I opened my mouth and replied, "Yes." My voice was thick with emotion and yet strangely monotone at the same time.

"It...must have been hard to lose him," Itachi continued hesitantly. "I...I honestly can't even imagine how my little brother must feel. I may not be dead, but I'm a _traitor_. I _murdered_ our entire clan."

Curiously I glanced over at Itachi. He _never_ talked about his little brother--Sasuke, I think his name was--or about what'd happened on the night that I'd first met him.

"You'll see him again eventually," I told Itachi after a minute. "You'll be able to explain to him what actually happened."

Almost instantly Itachi began to shake his head. "No," he said firmly--almost desperately. "I'll never tell him the truth. I'd much rather have him believe that I'm an evil murderer than to have him know about what our parents did--about what power-hungry bastards our entire clan was. He's always held them up on such a pedestal...I will never take that knowledge away from him. _Never_. He's still just a child anyway--only eight years old now."

I frowned at Itachi, but said nothing. It was his choice.

After another minute Itachi suddenly stood. "Come," he said while offering a hand down to me. "Let's go back to the house; it's getting late."

"I thought that shinobi liked the dark," I said teasingly to Itachi while accepting his hand. The dark haired boy rolled his eyes and chuckled as he helped me to me feet. That was another breakthrough that he'd reached recently: he'd laugh sometimes, when he was relaxed. That may not seem like much, but for the ever-solemn Itachi it was a lot.

As we walked back to the house the building quickly came into view. It was a massive thing, three stories tall with many windows. It's style was a mix of ancient and modern Japan that I'd found to be very common in this world. I was also becoming quite fond of it myself.

I stepped through the front door and found myself standing in the entrance hall. Directly off of it was the rather large living room, which was furnished with numerous couches, chairs, and tables. There Itachi and I found both Sasori and Deidara.

As soon as he saw me, Deidara jumped up from his seat and bounced over to me. He latched onto one of my wrists then and dragged me over to one of the couches.

"I was just talking to Sasori about the organization idea, Kristy-chan," he said excitedly.

Immediately I began to groan. "Not _that_ again, Deidara!" I exclaimed.

"Yes, yes, _that_," he bulldozed on. "I think it's a perfect idea! We're all strong fighters and we're still taking on missions, so it makes sense to form an organization. We'll be able to make a name for ourselves and it could help to call more jinchuuriki to us. Not to mention that it's just kick-ass cool to be able to say that you belong to an organization."

"We've already been over this," I reminded Deidara with a sigh. "It'd bring too much attention to us. Plus, there are only four of us. It's kind of difficult to form an organization with just four people."

Deidara easily waved my protest off. "There'll be more of us soon enough."

I rolled my eyes. "That doesn't change the fact that it'd bring attention to us. We _don't_ want attention, remember? We're _hiding_." With a sigh I moved to my feet. "I still stand by my argument. Now if you'll excuse me, I need to go take a bath and since we don't have running water that's going to take a while."

With that I left a pouting Deidara behind and a headed upstairs. I was well and truly exhausted.

--X--X--X--X--X--X--X--X--X--X--X--X--X--X--X--X--X--X--X--X--X--X--

The next day found me out in the cave that led to the Valley. More specifically, I was near the entrance at the base of the mountain so that I had enough light to see. Sasori sat nearby, watching me as I ran a hand along the cave wall.

"What're we doing out here again?" he asked while holding back a yawn of boredom.

"_I'm_ trying to figure out how to attach youkai channeling seals to this rock wall. _You_ are here to help me test it when I'm done."

Sasori raised an eyebrow. "And what, pray tell, are the seals for?"

"Well," I began while throwing a grin over my shoulder to the redhead, "As you know, I'm the only one who can move people quickly through the cave via the shadows. This is unpractical, and while you _could_ just walk all the way through the tunnel, it's too dangerous to leave an easy way to get into the Valley.

"_So_, what I'd like to do to solve this dilemma is use seals--hence why I've been studying chakra seal a lot lately--to create a permanent wall of chakra here, one that's always in "travel mode", if you will. This wall will instantly transport anyone whose energy signature is keyed into it into the Valley, where a similar wall will be set up. Anyone who isn't keyed into the shadows won't even see the wall, let along be able to use it. To them it'll be as if it doesn't exist.

"Now the problem," I continued, "Is actually putting the seals on the wall. The reason I'm using seals is because I can use them as a sort of youki anchor. Once I put the wall of shadows up I'll channel energy into the seal, which will then hold it. The seal should only need to be 'reenergized' once every year or so."

Through my explanation Sasori's eyebrows had continued to climb on his forehead. When I finally finished he let out a low whistle.

"So _that's_ why you've been spending so much time reading through those old scrolls. You've been researching."

I smirked at Sasori. "Yep. I've been looking for a way to secure the Valley for a while now. Not to mention that it took quite a while to figure out how to modify the seals so that they could channel youki without bursting into flames. Seals are also a very useful thing to know about; there's so much that can be accomplished with them that we have no way of doing in the Makai. _Plus_, there's the seals that all you jinchuuriki have. I mean, even if I do find all of you and get back to the Makai, I currently have no way of actually releasing the youkai from within you. I'm hoping that by learning more about seals, I'll eventually figure a way to unseal the youkai."

Sasori nodded his understanding. "So what's the problem with the wall that you're having right now?" he asked.

"Like I said, the problem is actually getting the seals _onto_ the wall. As you can see, it's jagged and rocky, as all caves naturally are, and I'm not sure how that'll affect the seal when I draw them on..."

"Why not just smooth out the area of the wall where you're going to put the seals?"

"I've thought of doing that," I replied, "But it would be obvious to anyone walking through here that it'd be done on purpose, and the point is to _avoid_ notice."

Sasori stayed silent for several minutes, thinking. Then, quite suddenly, he jumped up from his seat and began pacing back and forth.

"What about that thing that you're able to do?" he asked quickly. "You know, where you can make people not notice things--like they're invisible, only they aren't really."

For a moment excitement began to build within me, but just as quickly it disappeared. "That won't work," I said sadly. "The entire reason as to why I'm using seals is because youki won't continue to do what you want it to if it's on its own, and it'll eventually fade away."

"But that's just it!" Sasori continued impatiently. "You can create seals for invisibility, just as you've done for the shadows. Seals to make the smooth part of the wall unnoticeable!"

My eyes widened as I quickly caught onto Sasori's idea. "That's it!" I exclaimed excitedly. "Seals to hide seals! Kami, why didn't I think of that before?!"

At once I grabbed onto Sasori's shoulder and transported the two of us through the shadows and into the entrance hall of our house. Sasori stumbled backwards in surprise as we reappeared, but I paid him no mind. Instead I immediately began to race up the two flights of stairs the house had and came out on the third floor. Once there I dashed into a large room that was filled scrolls of every shape, size, and color imaginable.

It actually hadn't taken us very long to procure this collection. This was mainly due to Sasori's seemingly infinite contacts, many of whom sold rare scrolls--usually illegally. Two years ago I might have been concerned about that, but now I really couldn't care less, especially since I knew _why_ Itachi, Deidara, and Sasori were "criminals".

While the boys generally used the scroll to learn new fighting techniques, I used them to learn the art of seals. At this moment there were several scrolls on sealing techniques spread out across a large wooden table in the middle of the room. Not wanting to waste any time, I strode over to the table, sat down before it, and then began the long process of looking up exactly what I was going to need for my plan to work.

--X--X--X--X--X--X--X--X--X--X--X--X--X--X--X--X--X--X--X--X--X--X--

A firm knock on the door broke me from my state intense concentration. Blinking in surprise, I looked up to watch as the sliding rice paper door opened and Sasori stuck his head in.

"Are...you alright?" he asked hesitantly. He sounded annoyed, not so much at me but at the fact that he was even asking.

I stared at Sasori blankly, wondering what the heck he was doing. As soon as I came out of my moment of surprise however, a bright grin broke across my face.

"Ah, Sasori-_chan_, I didn't know you cared!" I exclaimed. Of course, this only annoyed the redheaded shinobi further.

"I don't!" he snapped defensively. "We drew straws and I was the one who had to come up and ask! So, dammit, are you alight?!"

"Deny it all you want," I teased. Slowly, my expression became more serious. "As sweet as it is...Why are you asking me if I'm okay?"

For a minute Sasori stared uncomprehendingly at me. Then, suddenly, a strange expression came over his face.

"Kristy..." he began slowly, "You've been up here for almost 36 hours."

Once again I blinked in surprise. "Eh?! Are you serious?!"

"No, I'm playing a practical joke on you," Sasori growled sarcastically.

I paused to consider that. "Yeah, you're right, you must be telling the truth," I said finally. "_You_ would never play a practical joke. ...Unless you got really, _really_ drunk. Then you might."

Sasori rolled his eyes. "Look," he grunted. "Will you just come down with me before Deidara sends out a full search party? You need to eat something, after all."

As if someone had flipped a switch in my brain my eyes suddenly lit up with excitement. I picked up a sheet of paper and began waving it around in front of me. Sasori raised his eyebrows as he attempted to read the illegible writing sprawled across it.

"I can't!" I exclaimed almost happily. "I think I've just completed the invisibility seals. Surprisingly they're not quite as complex as the ones that will hold the shadows in place. I guess that makes sense though, since shadows are more...intangible...than raw energy." Before Sasori could even open his mouth to reply I suddenly leaped over to him and latched onto one of his wrists. "Come on, let's test it out!" I exclaimed as I once again transported us through the shadows and into the entrance of the cave.

Without a moment's hesitation I rushed over to one of the cave walls. The first thing I needed to do was create a foot wide strip of smoothed down rock that ran up the wall of the cave, kind of like an arch. That task was accomplished easily enough with my fire and psychic energy. Once that was done I drew the seal in intervals all along the rock. This was the most difficult part, but also the most important, and once I was satisfied with my work the only thing that was left to do was activate the wall of shadows.

I took a deep breath as I stood before the wall. I'd already done this before, on the inside of the Valley, but that one didn't have the invisibility seals, and so might work differently. Well, there was only one way to find out.

Channeling the youki was probably the hardest part because it took so much energy--this would have to last for quite a while after all. Following that I had to tie the shadows to the seal by channeling my youki into them. For several long seconds I held my breath as nothing happened. Then, quite suddenly, the shadows flickered into existence, strong as ever. I slowly cut off the youki I had flowing into the seals, but the shadows didn't fall.

"Yes!" I exclaimed loudly. "It worked!"

Sasori approached me from behind. "Uh, Kristy, there's nothing there."

My grin never faltered. "It seems that way to you because your chakra isn't keyed into it yet. Which means that the invisibility seals are working perfectly as well!" Even as Sasori opened his mouth to reply I tugged his arm towards the shadows. "Come on," I said. "I've just go to mix your chakra into it to key you in."

Sasori sighed but relented, allowing me to pull him up next to the wall. Slowly I used my youki to coerce his to mix with the shadows. Almost immediately the seals drew the chakra in and I could tell by Sasori's sudden gasp that he could now see the shadows.

"There!" I continued excitedly. "Now to test it..." Abruptly I pushed Sasori forward, towards the wall of shadows. He squawked--a very strange sound coming from him--in indignant surprise and attempted to regain his balance, but the second he touched the shadows he was drawn in and instantly disappeared.

"So it does work then!" I commented with a grin before striding into the shadows myself. When I came out on the other side I found Sasori lying on the ground, swirly eyed. "Thanks for being my guinea pig, Saso-chan," I told the older shinobi with a smirk. Whistling an airy tune, I walked away.

--X--X--X--X--X--X--X--X--X--X--X--X--X--X--X--X--X--X--X--X--X--X--

Itachi and Deidara stared up the stairs with trepidation. "You think he's dead?" Deidara whispered to Itachi.

The younger boy shrugged, though there was a wary light in his eyes. "He's been up there for a while," he admitted.

For a moment neither of them spoke as they continued to stare up the stairs. Then Deidara turned to Itachi again.

"Should we...check on them?" he asked. Itachi just stared at him as if he was insane.

Deidara sighed and was going to return to his staring when suddenly he gasped in surprise, as if coming to a realization. "Wait!" he exclaimed. "I know what's going on! Kristy's up there all alone and he's gone up to comfort her...!" Without hesitation he abruptly dashed up the stairs, screaming at the top of his lungs, "Sasori! Get your hands off her!"

Itachi palmed his face. "Kami," he muttered. "Of all the stupid assumptions--"

"Hey!" Deidara suddenly exclaimed from above. "No one's here!" There was pause and then a gasp that was punctuated by a loud yell. "They've eloped!"

Itachi palmed his face again.


	9. Chapter 8: The Girl

A/N: I had fun writing this chapter, if only because of the new character (**grins**) ...And I really have nothing else to say right now (**sweatdrops**) Please read, review, and enjoy! Ja ne!

Disclaimer: I do not own Yu Yu Hakusho or Naruto. Kiara is owned by Yusuke'sSister.

Claimer: I do own the plot line, the Kuro Tournament, Kristy, Jason, Jessica, Chris, Bashere, and anything else related to them.

(1) - Nee-chan means older sister (Note: It's pronounced _neh_-chan)

(2) - Imouto means little sister.

(3) - A kunoichi is a female shinobi.

(4) - Genin is lowest of the three main ranks of shinobi. It literally means "low ninja".

(5) - Chuunin means "middle ninja" while Jounin means "elite ninja".

(6) - Raikage means Lightning Shadow

(7) - This is a shinobi technique that allows the user to "transform" into something else this is generally used just to change basic appearance though because it is only an illusion and thus can be easily expelled (So, for example, if you use it to make yourself look a few feet taller, you won't actually change in height and if someone tried to touch your head or something, their hand would just go through the illusion). The technique is one of the three basic ones that all Academy students must know in order to graduate and become shinobi.

"Talking"  
'_Thinking_'  
'_**Telepathy**_'

_Jinchuuriki - Youkai name - # of Tails - Youkai type  
_Itachi - Tasuki - six/Rokubi - weasel  
Deidara - Sadao - seven/Shichibi - badger  
Sasori - Kenta - four/Yonbi - scorpion  
unknown - Nobuo - eight/Hachibi - unknown

**Thanks to my beta reader, Anna Jaganshi.**

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Under A Bloody Moon

Chapter 8  
_The Girl_

--X--X--X--X--X--X--X--X--X--X--X--X--X--X--X--X--X--X--X--X--X--X--

I let out a deep breath as I trudged down a dirt road with Itachi at my side. "It's great to see new countries," I commented offhandedly. "But all the walking is a real pain. And we can't even run there because we're posing as civilians! ...Although, technically I _am_ a civilian..."

Itachi snorted in reply. "You're just addicted to speeding," he told me. "You don't think that it's worth to travel _anywhere_ if you can't run there. And why are you complaining anyway? _You're_ the one who decided that you were going to come with me."

"I can't help that I wanted to get out and about," I said defensively. "I haven't gotten outside the Valley much lately. Now that I've got the shadow wall thingy up though, I can go wherever I'd like!" I spread my arms wide before me to emphasize my point. "And since you have this mission, I figured that I'd go with you. ...What is the mission again anyway? I can't remember..."

Itachi rolled his eyes and then let out a sigh. "A guy in Rain Country needs to deliver an important scroll to someone in Cloud Country," the younger boy explained. "However, because he's a missing-nin from Cloud, he can't deliver it himself. Hence where we come in. And we're dressing as civilians because I'm a missing-nin. Cloud may not be on very good terms with Konohagakure, but that doesn't mean that they'll hesitated to kill me if they recognize me and I'd really rather not have a mission interrupted by ANBU."

"Alright, alright. And here I was hoping that we'd get to see some action," I said with a sigh. "...Though it's still cool to see another country anyway. The only ones I've really been to are Earth and Fire. And Waterfall, of course." As I spoke my grin widened and I playfully messed up Itachi's hair. The younger boy squawked in surprise.

"Nee-chan(**1**)!" he protested while furiously smoothing his hair back in place.

Instantly I froze in place as surprise took over my mind. Had he just...? Meanwhile Itachi, who had continued walking, look back at me over his shoulder.

"Oi," he called, "If you're so upset about it taking too long to get to Cloud, then try actually walking."

I found myself blinking in surprise. Did he really not even realize what he'd said? Slowly a grin came over my face and I jogged to catch up with him.

"Alright, Itachi-kun," I replied while folding my hands behind my head in a relaxed position. "Let's get going!"

--X--X--X--X--X--X--X--X--X--X--X--X--X--X--X--X--X--X--X--X--X--X--

Cloud country was both like and dislike what I'd expected it to be. It was in the highlands--hence its name--and was cold, but the people of the rather large village walked around like it was warm and sunny there. The architecture was a bit different from the other towns I'd been to, but it still had that Japanese feel to it.

I followed behind Itachi as we walked through the streets while glancing curiously around me. Occasionally I noticed shinobi traveling across the rooftops by leaping from building to building. They were mostly in their teens and twenties, I observed. I only saw one or two who looked as though they could have been over thirty.

Eventually Itachi came to a stop outside of a fairly dilapidated building. "You can stay out here," he told me. "I'll be back in just a minute."

As I was interested in observing the Village I didn't argue. Instead I leaned back against the side of the building with my arms crossed before me while he disappeared inside. Although, I thought offhandedly, the word "village" was used very loosely here; most of the villages I'd been to so far had been the size of small cities.

Not a minute had passed by when all of the sudden a small figure no higher than my waist crashed into my legs. Blinking in surprise I looked down to find a young girl--she couldn't have been more than nine years old--with pale blonde hair and golden eyes. She stared up at me with wide eyes for a second before quickly hiding behind my legs.

It was at that point that several shinobi came barreling down the street. Angry looks were on their faces while they looked all around, doubtlessly searching for the girl. I frowned, really starting to dislike most official shinobi; I didn't care what the little girl had done, she was still just a child.

"You need to be more careful, imouto(**2**)," I said fairly loudly to the little girl while turning around so that I could hide her from view. "I _told_ you not to eat so many sweets; you're probably going to get a stomach ache now."

The shinobi barely even spared me a glance as they passed by and soon they were out of sight. Once I was sure that we were safe, I looked down at the little girl with a smile.

"They're gone now," I told her softly.

"Thanks!" the girl said with a bright smile. She executed a clumsy bow. "My name's Yugito."

"I'm Kristy. ...Why were those men chasing you, Yugito-chan?"

Yugito's shoulders seemed to droop. "No one likes me much here," she said evasively in a quiet voice.

I squatted down so that I could see Yugito eye to eye. I didn't understand how _anyone_ could hate a _child_, but it wasn't my place to ask. Instead I gave Yugito a grin.

"Well, I like you, Yugito-chan," I told her. "You're a very sweet girl."

Yugito gave me an almost blinding smile. "I'm gonna be a kunoichi(**3**) soon though!" she told me happily while bouncing up and down on the balls of her feet. "I'm still just in the Academy right now, but I'll be a Genin(**4**) in a few years!"

I chuckled lightly. "Well good luck then," I said. "I'm sure that you'll make a fantastic kunoichi."

I reached out to touch her shoulder, but the second that I made contact with her there was a sudden spark of energy between us. Breathing sharply in surprise, I drew back my hand while shaking it.

"Damn, static shocks," I muttered with a sigh. It had most likely been caused by the left over youki running through my system. I hoped the girl didn't think much of it...

I heard a quiet cough behind me and when I looked back I found Itachi standing there, watching us with a raised eyebrow. I straightened myself up into a standing position while grinning at him.

"Itachi-kun," I greeted happily. "Done already? This," I gestured to the young girl before me, "Is Yugito. Yugito-chan, this is Itachi, my friend."

While Yugito smiled, Itachi only grunted in reply, looking as stoic as always. "Ready to go?" he asked.

"Yes," I sighed. "Sorry, Yugito-chan, but we're going to have to leave now. It was wonderful meeting you though."

Yugito just smiled, surprisingly not looking at all sad. "See you later, Nee-san!" she called while turning around and running off. I couldn't help but chuckle in response; that was the second time in one day that I'd been called that.

"What was that about?" Itachi asked me after a minute of silence.

"Just helping out a new friend," I told him while tilting my head and smiling.

Itachi rolled his eyes. "And you say that you're the one trying to avoid bringing attention to us..."

"Oi!" I protested. "It was just a little girl! And I doubt that I'll ever see her again anyway." When Itachi said nothing I let out a sigh. "Look, if you're really so worried, we'll leave Hidden Cloud right now; we should be able to make it back to the Valley by nightfall if I run."

"Can't you just use your shadows to transport us?" Itachi asked with one raised eyebrow. "That'd be faster."

"It would, but where's the fun in that?"

Itachi let out a sigh of his own, though his was exasperated. The two of us continued to walk back through the Village in silence until something suddenly occurred to me.

"Hey, Itachi-kun," I began, "Yugito, the little girl, mentioned something about an Academy that she was attending...Do you know anything about that?"

"Sure. All Hidden Villages have Academies that you have to graduate from in order to become an official shinobi. Once you do you're instated as a Genin."

"And Genin is the lowest shinobi ranking, right?"

"Yeah. The other two are Chuunin and Jounin**(5)**. ANBU, as you'll remember, is a separate organization that answers only to their Kage--the leader of their Village. For example, the leader of the Leaf Village is the Hokage and Cloud Village's Kage is called the Raikage**(6)**."

"I get it," I replied while tapping my chin contemplatively. "ANBU is very similar to the special ops of the world I come from. And they're probably somewhat outside the law like them too."

Itachi and I lapsed back into silence as we came to the gates of the Village. The two shinobi guards there--Chuunin, Itachi told me, recognizable by the green, pocketed vets that they wore--quickly checked our traveling passes and let us by. We had no trouble at all because both Itachi and I were under illusions; him a **Henge Jutsu** (_Transformation Technique_)**(7)**, and me under a "psychic veil" as I'd taken to calling it.

As we walked away form the Village I resisted the urge to immediately break out into a run. We needed to be farther away first in order to avoid suspicion. Before long however the urge to run was long forgotten in the face of another problem: we were being tailed by someone. A quick glance to the side revealed that Itachi probably sensed the presence as well, if his tensed shoulders were anything to go by.

I wasted no time in activating the mental link that I had long since set up in Itachi's mind. '_**Just keep walking,**_' I told him telepathically. '_**I'll take care of this.**_' Itachi's eyes flickered to me for the barest of a moment, letting me know that he'd heard.

Assured that Itachi knew that I had a plan, I quickly used my psychic energy to weave two more illusions around myself. Instantaneously I disappeared from view while a walking copy of myself--kind of like hologram--took my place. I'd gotten the idea for that from the Bunshin no jutsu, which had basically the same effect, that Itachi had shown me once. With everything in place I faded into the shadows and reappeared near our stalker.

Honestly, I'd expected the person stalking us to be a shinobi. Or at least an adult. But this...?

'_Yugito?!_'

I gaped at the little blonde girl as she passed by me unaware. What the hell was she doing here?! As I came out of my shock however, I noticed something strange: she didn't seem to be actually stalking us. Rather it was as though she was simply struggling to catch up to us.

With a raised eyebrow and curiosity eating away at my mind, I decided that the best course of action would be to confront Yugito. She was just a little girl after all.

The moment I let my illusion fall while standing a few feet in front of Yugito, she let out a gasp. This was not followed be fear or guilt however, but rather by a blinding smile that took over her face.

"Nee-chan!" she exclaimed while bouncing up and down in excitement. "There you are!"

"Here indeed," I murmured quietly. I let out a sigh and then crouched down so that I was on Yugito's level. "Yugito-chan, what're you doing out here? Why are you following us?"

"She told me to," the child replied simply. "She said that you'd be able to help.

My brow furrowed in confusion. "She?" I enquired warily.

"Yes. She wa_nts to talk to you,_" Yugito said, and I jumped in surprise as two voices--one Yugito's and the other an older, deeper, feminine one--came from her mouth.


	10. Chapter 9: The Organization

A/N: Sorry about the wait for this chapter. Honestly, I got caught up in a new, Naruto-centric story that I've been working on. A story which I must say that I'm absolutely loving (**grins**) For more information on that, see me profile--they story's called _Failing Twilight_. Anyways, I've also added a list of the characters' ages and the setting of the chapter just above this story. I realize that with all the different time jumps the ages get a bit confusing, so that should help. Please read, review, and enjoy! Ja ne!

Disclaimer: I do not own Yu Yu Hakusho or Naruto. Kiara is owned by Yusuke'sSister.

Claimer: I do own the plot line, the Kuro Tournament, Kristy, Jason, Jessica, Chris, Bashere, and anything else related to them.

(1) - Nibi no Nekomata "two tailed forked cat". A nekomata is a cat from Japanese folklore with supernatural abilities generally related to healing and controlling corpses.

(2) - Otouto means little brother.

(3) - Akatsuki means "dawn" but translates literally to "red moon" (aka means red and tsuki means moon). That's what Itachi is referring to.

"Talking"  
'_Thinking_'  
'_**Telepathy**_'

_Jinchuuriki - Youkai name - # of Tails - Youkai type  
_Yugito - Azami - two/Nibi - cat  
Sasori - Kenta - four/Yonbi - scorpion  
Itachi - Tasuki - six/Rokubi - weasel  
Deidara - Sadao - seven/Shichibi - badger  
unknown - Nobuo - eight/Hachibi - unknown

**Ages  
**Kristy - 18  
Itachi - 14  
Deidara - 16  
Sasori - 20  
Yugito - 9

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Under A Bloody Moon

Chapter 9  
_The Organization_

--X--X--X--X--X--X--X--X--X--X--X--X--X--X--X--X--X--X--X--X--X--X--

_**Outside Cloud Village, June, 1 Year SA (Since Arrival)**_

"She wa_nts to talk to you,_" Yugito said, and I jumped in surprise as two voices--one Yugito's and the other an older, deeper, feminine one--came from her mouth.

Yugito blinked and suddenly her golden eyes changed. The whites disappeared, leaving only gold and the pupils became tall and slitted.

'_Like an animal's..._' I realized as I stared at her with wide eyes.

"Greetings, my Lord," Yugito said, this time with only the older voice.

I jerked back, my eyes widening even further. "Excuse me?" I gaped. "How--?! When--...Huh..?"

Yugito bowed at the waist. "I am Azami," she said. "I am the Nibi no Nekomata**(1)** of the Biju."

Again I blinked, though this time because all of the pieces fell into place. "..._Oh_!" I exclaimed. "Yugito's another of the Jinchuuriki! But...how did you recognize me?"

Yugito's mouth curled into a small smirk that looked decidedly out of place on a little girl's mouth. In fact, her whole expression looked pretty odd. At least now I knew why her eyes had changed to what they had; Azami was a neko youkai.

"Illusions such as the one that was covering you may trick the feeble minds of feeble humans, but do not work on youkai. We see it simply as energy, not as something else. And besides, the Mark was not meant to be hidden."

As she spoke my hand unconsciously lifted to brush against the large kanji that took up the left side of my face. Azami's statement made so much sense to me that I wondered why I hadn't realized it earlier. Youkai's brains were different from humans' brains, after all; they were two entirely different species. And besides, if illusions had worked so easily then Bashere would have used them _a lot_ more often, being a psychic youkai and all. A shiver ran down my spine; thank Kami a person with that kind of power doesn't actually exist.

"So, umm, you were the first of the Biju to be sent here, right?"

Yugito's gaze narrowed. "First?" she asked sharply. My eyes widened once again. Crap, she didn't know about what'd happened. Doubtless she believed that Bashere had easily been taken care of and that I'd become the Battle Lord through some other series of events.

"Um, yeah," I replied while scratching the back of my head awkwardly. "Almost all of the other Biju were sent here through Bashere's trickery. I still don't know about what happened to Nobuo or Rokuro though."

Yugito's face twisted into a mixture of fury and concern. "Damn bastard!" Azami hissed. "Vile little cockroach!" She continued to glare into space for a few seconds before her expression faded into a frown. "Unfortunately this child is unable to channel my youki like this for very long. We shall have to finish this conversation at a later date."

With that rather abrupt farewell, the youki aura around Yugito faded and her eyes changed back to looking more human-like. Yugito blinked several times in rapid succession, as if regaining her bearings, and then smiled happily up at me.

"So I can come with you, right?" she asked.

The question caught me by surprise. Of course I'd been hoping that she'd come back to the Valley--I _was_ trying to gather all the Biju, after all--but I hadn't expected her to be the one to bring it up.

"Er, well sure, I guess," I said awkwardly. "Are you sure you'd like to though? I mean, you'll have to leave your Village and you won't be able to become an official kunoichi..."

Yugito shrugged lightly. "They don't like me very much there, so it's okay. Besides, I want to go with you anyway, nee-chan!" she said while pouting cutely.

I felt myself melting there. "Oh, all right then. And I'm sure that the others and I will be able to help you become an official kunoichi anyway, if not an unofficial one. Oh! That reminds me! You'll have to meet the rest of my friends; they're all Jinchuuriki like you!"

Yugito stared at me with wide, innocent eyes. "Really?!" she asked. "Even Itachi-san?"

"Even Itachi," I agreed with a chuckle. "Speaking of which, we should probably catch up to him..." Suddenly my grin widened. "Say, Yugito-chan, how'd you like to go really, _really_ fast?"

--X--X--X--X--X--X--X--X--X--X--X--X--X--X--X--X--X--X--X--X--X--X--

_**The Valley, June, 1 Year SA**_

Yugito easily adapted to life with me and the other Jinchuuriki. Though Sasori was pretty annoyed to have a kid running around and Itachi was just indifferent, Deidara had apparently adopted himself as her older brother--and considering their similar pale hair and eyes, it wasn't really a far throw. The two of them were twin balls of energy and were hell to deal with when they were hyper.

Before very long I realized that I did indeed need to finish my conversation with Yugito's youkai and that I should also touch base again with Tasuki to let him know who I'd found. With this in mind, one day I dragged Itachi and Yugito to a sunny meditation room in the back of the house.

"This will only take a minute you two," I said. I shifted my gaze onto Itachi as we stopped in the middle of the traditional-style room. "You of all people should know, otouto**(2)**, that time passes differently in the mind. And I promise that you won't even feel a thing, Yugito-chan."

Itachi scowled at me for the endearment, but didn't say a word against it as we sat on the floor. I grinned at the two shinobi--well, one shinobi, one shinobi-in-training--and then closed my eyes. I spread out my youki then, ready to try something I'd never done before and that I wasn't even sure would work: I was going to briefly connect Itachi and Yugito's minds so that Tasuki, Azami, and I could all talk together--kind of like three-way-calling, but in person.

With a gentle tug I found myself in...Well, _someone's_ mind; I wasn't sure which. Considering as there was a set of metal bars to my left and to my right while there were stone walls before and behind me, it was probably a mixture of both Itachi and Yugito's. I also was not alone in the strange room. By some twist of fate I had indeed managed to pull both Tasuki and Azami in with me.

Azami, as it turned out, was indeed a neko youkai. Or at least I assumed so from the black cat ears and the two cat tails that she had. Her hair was a fiery red and fell in waves down her back and her eyes were the stunning slit liquid gold that I'd seen when I first met her. She also had a tall shapely figure that fit securely into the tight, traditional kimono that she wore. The very way she stood screamed seductress.

"Azami?" Tasuki asked while staring in shock.

She too looked surprised. "Tasuki? What the--" she spluttered while her head swiveled back and forth between Tasuki and I, clearly very confused.

Tasuki was the first one to regain his composure. With one eyebrow raised in inquiry and his arms crossed firmly over his chest, he turned to look at me.

"Let me guess," he said dryly, "You had something to do with this."

I smirked at the other two youkai. "You bet. I found Azami about a week ago and needed to speak with both of you and so, voila! Here we are."

Tasuki's eyebrow was still raised. "Shouldn't you be speaking to Sadao instead of me?" he questioned. "He's the highest ranking of us Biju after all."

"Please," I replied with an undignified snort. "Sadao hates my guts, for whatever reason. He's actually a lot like Sasori, now that I think about it--it's ironic that Sadao isn't sealed into him instead of Deidara. At least Sasori's fairly civil with me though."

This time it was Azami who quirked an eyebrow. "Surely Sadao can't be all that bad," she commented. "Sure, he's always been a bit of a jackass, but then badger youkai are notorious for being fowl tempered. Sadao is actually pretty calm for his race. So it's either that or you've managed to do something to really piss him off."

"But I haven't done anything!" I protested loudly. "I've only spoken to him once and right off the bat he was pissy with me; he even tried to attack me before I even saw him!"

"Seems to me like you two just rub each other the wrong way," Tasuki chuckled. "I'm sure that it's just your more playful wolf nature conflicting with his badger side."

I shrugged uncomfortably. "Well anyway, the reason I came here was so that we can put this story together a bit better. Now that I'm all settled here in this world I can focus most of my attention on gather up the rest of the Biju--there should only be two more now. If I can learn more about them I'll know better what to look for in their Jinchuuriki."

Tasuki studied me silently for a minute. "You're really about this aren't you? About helping us?"

"Yes," I answered with a resolute nod. "I am. You worked with the last true Battle Lord after all, right? Then it's only right that I get you back to the Makai. Plus, I can't imagine what it must be like for your Jinchuuriki, to be shunned as they are..." I sighed. "So yeah, I'm serious."

"Then we will help you. We will train you so that you will be better able to deal with any obstacles that come your way."

Azami and I gaped at the weasel youkai. "You'll what?!" we exclaimed simultaneously.

"_We_," Tasuki repeated while glanced over at Azami, "Will train you."

"I-- you-- I mean, I-- ...Thank you," I finished softly.

"You're quite lucky Kristy-sama," Azami said with a smirk once she'd calmed down, "To be trained by the Biju. No one else has ever had such an honor and we've been around for _quite_ some time. After all, Rokuro-sama was the last one to win the Kuro Tournament before it was banned."

My eyes widened in shock. "Are you trying to tell me that Rokuro was the Battle Lord for over a _thousand years_?!"

"Is that really so surprising?" Tasuki asked with a smirk. "We've told you that he was very strong." He waved his hand dismissively. "But that does not matter. For the time being we need to focus on the rest of the Biju. Besides Nobuo, the remaining two are Hiroshi, a shark youkai, and Mikio, a wolf youkai..."

--X--X--X--X--X--X--X--X--X--X--X--X--X--X--X--X--X--X--X--X--X--X--

_**The Valley, July, 1 Year SA**_

"Yes!"

"No."

"Yes!"

"No."

"Yes!"

"_NO_, dammit!" I yelled suddenly while banging my hand on the table beneath me. Deidara jumped in surprise at my outburst despite the fact that he knew very well that he was annoying me from my twitching eye. He was not to be deterred however, and leaned over the dining table that the two of us were sitting at--me working with several scrolls laid out before me and him there just to pester me--to look me in the eye.

"Yes."

I threw up my hands in annoyance and groaned, "You're impossible, Deidara! We're _not_ going to form an organization."

The quiet pattering of a pair of feet signified Yugito's entrance in the room. She yawned cutely while kneeling at the table and reaching for some of the breakfast that was laid out there.

"Organization?" the nine year old asked curiously. Itachi and Sasori, who were sitting in the conjoining living room and playing a game of Go, glanced up to see how I would handle this.

I let out a sigh and rested my chin in my hand. "For the past few months Deidara's been determined to get us to form an organization. For whatever reason he just won't give the idea up!"

Yugito titled her head to the side and a smile came to her face. "I think that that's great idea!" she said brightly while my draw dropped in shock. "Why can't we?"

I spluttered while attempting to come up with something to say. Deidara was quick to move over to Yugito and they both looked up at me with pouts and the feared "puppy eyes", looking disturbingly alike.

"_Please_," they said in union.

"But it'll draw attention..." I protested lamely, trailing off. I looked to Itachi and Sasori for support but Sasori just smirked at me, highly amused by my situation.

Itachi shrugged helplessly and shot me an apologizing look. "It's not like we wouldn't attract attention eventually," he said. "And it _could_ help with find the rest of the Jinchuuriki."

"Traitor!" I wailed. I was set on running from the room, but as soon as my eyes landed on the pleading Yugito and Deidara again I felt my resolve beginning to crumble. Finally I threw my hands up into the air again and gave in. "Fine! We'll form a damn organization!"

Instantly Deidara and Yugito cheered and hugged each other happily. "Thanks Yugito-chan!" Deidara exclaimed. "I've been trying forever to get Kristy-chan to agree!" The blonde looked down thoughtfully. "Now we just need a name..."

The next few minutes were spent bouncing names off of each other, trying to find one that would fit. Surprisingly, Itachi eventually spoke up.

"What about...Akatsuki?" he asked hesitantly.

I furrowed my brow. "Dawn? That's a cool name, but I don't quite see how it fits."

"Not dawn," the Uchiha replied. "Red moon**(3)**. Remember the night when I first met you? The moon was red, which is incredibly rare. It just seems like some sort of a sign..." Itachi shrugged uncomfortably.

Almost as soon as Itachi finished speaking I remembered something that shocked me.

_**--Flashback--**_

_I continue down the hall then at a brisk pace, knowing that I had wasted enough time admiring my mind. My halls were comparatively short compared to Mr. Rawls, but then he had lived hundred of years more than me, so it wasn't really all that surprising. None the less, it was only a good thing in this case, since I soon found myself at the end of the hall in front of the door to my Youkai Room. This door, while larger than the rest, still looks basically the same as the memory ones. It does seem to be a slightly darker shade of black, but I suppose that that is just because of the door's importance. Shrugging off my pointless observations, I reach out to the handle and yank the door open before stepping inside._

_Like in all other youkai minds, I find myself standing before the floating objects that represent abilities. The first four that really stand out are obviously symbols for my blood: a floating flame for fire, the purple eye for psychic, a howling wolf's head for my ookami blood, and, strangely enough, a shapeless black blob for shadows. The blob was constantly shifting around and seemed to be made of the same stuff as the walls, though it was pure black. Next to these for were a katana, a shoe, a human face, and...a red moon._

_**--End Flashback--**_

What could this mean? Had that been some premonition or something? I'd never been able to figure out what the moon stood for, and it seemed to far of a stretch so say that the symbol and my coming to this world under a bloody red moon were just a coincidence. Maybe, just maybe, the moon was there to represent what I was going through now.

"That's perfect!" I exclaimed, happy with my new realization. "Akatsuki. That's what we'll call ourselves!"

Deidara walked over to me and slung an arm over my shoulders. "See?" he said with a grin. "This is going to work out _perfectly_. Now we just need outfits."

I stared at the blonde incredulously. "_Outfits_?"

"Yeah, outfits. All the cool organizations have them."

"No way in _hell_," I said in horror. "We are _not_ going to have outfits!"

"Yes!"

"No."

"Yes!"

"No."

"Yes!"

"_NO_!"


	11. Chapter 10: The Pervert

Disclaimer: I do not own Yu Yu Hakusho or Naruto. Kiara is owned by Yusuke'sSister.

Claimer: I do own the plot line, the Kuro Tournament, Kristy, Jason, Jessica, Chris, Bashere, and anything else related to them.

"Talking"  
'_**Thinking**_'  
'_**Telepathy**_'

_Jinchuuriki - Youkai name - # of Tails - Youkai type  
_Yugito - Azami - two/Nibi - cat  
unknown - Hiroshi - three/Sanbi - shark  
Sasori - Kenta - four/Yonbi - scorpion  
unknown - Mikio - five/Gobi - wolf  
Itachi - Tasuki - six/Rokubi - weasel  
Deidara - Sadao - seven/Shichibi - badger  
unknown - Nobuo - eight/Hachibi - unknown

**Ages  
**Kristy - 18  
Itachi - 14  
Deidara - 16  
Sasori - 21  
Yugito - 9

(1) - For those of you who have read Naruto, these seals are quite like the Kin seals from chapter 263 of the manga, except the other seals make them invisible so they're technically impossible to find, unless you're a youkai.

(2) - There's a picture of Deidara in an Akatsuki cloak in my profile as well as one of Sasori and one of Yugito.

(3) - I also have a picture of him in my profile.

(4) - Nii-san means older brother. Dei-nii-san is Yugito's nickname for Deidara, especially since she can't call him by name at the festival.

(5) - Imouto means younger sister

**Thanks to my beta reader, Anna Jaganshi.**

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Under A Bloody Moon

Chapter 10  
_The Pervert_

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_**Outside the Valley, September, 1 Year SA**_

Creating seals is a long process. A _very_ long process. Despite this I found myself enamored with the art, constantly fascinated with what it could do. The seals before me, attached to a tree, were just one incredible example of this.

After we'd decided to from an organization I'd begun to work on a project to protect the valley we lived in. Well, "begun to work" on it isn't really accurate; I'd already started the project a month or so before, but once it became apparent that we would really need it I stepped up the work on it. Between that, forming the organization, and training I was so busy that I didn't even have the time to help out with missions! So much for having free time.

When I'd finally finished formulating the seals I was very happy with them. Their purpose was to ward off people from even wanting to come _near_ the mountain unless they were keyed into the "wards", as I'd taken to calling them. It worked similarly to my invisibility technique in that in that it affected people's minds by causing them to want to leave "by their own choice". There were twenty of these seals spaced in an even radius around the mountain and each seal was surrounded by several invisibility seals to hide it from view in case anyone somehow managed to get close to them. **(1)**

Grinning, I stood back to look at the last of the seals. Now the Valley--and indeed the mountain itself--was completely secured. After a minute of admiring the way the black ink wound its way across the small pieces of paper, I turned on my heel and instantly disappeared into the shadows.

I was actually getting better and better at shadow travel. It was like a muscle; each time I used it I found myself able to travel farter and carry more with me. At this point I could travel about 20 miles without feeling completely exhausted. I also was able to take all of the Jinchuuriki with me, but only over short distances.

When I arrived in our house I quickly headed to the kitchen to get something to eat. Just as I was making some ramen, Deidara came in wearing a large black cloak with red clouds**(2)**. _This_ was what he had insisted we wear, and what I'd eventually agreed to. I had to admit that they looked pretty, though, and they _were_ only cloaks...

"How'd it go?" I asked as I leaned back against the counter behind me.

"Great, of course. I t was just a retrieval mission."

"An A-rank retrieval mission of an object worth a small fortune," I replied dryly.

Deidara's ever-present grin widened. "Yep. I think that the training we're getting has really been helping..."

I chuckled and nodded in agreement. The Biju had wound up helping agreeing to teach all of us. At first I wasn't sure how we'd be able to talk to them, but then I figured out how to utilize my youki to allow the Biju to materialize on the physical plane by pulling their energy through me. It was a really complicated process and I still wasn't entirely sure how it worked but it _did_ work and that was what mattered.

The only problem with this was that in the real world they were ghost-like and insubstantial. They could teach us, but not actually fight with us. I was trying to figure out a way to get the Biju to "possess" some of Sasori's puppets, but so far hadn't really gotten anywhere.

"Sooo," Deidara began. "Have you put those 'wards' around the mountain yet?"

I smiled brightly, perking up. "Yes! I used a key seal to tie them into the shadow wall so that you're all already keyed into it. We shouldn't be getting any visitors any time soon now."

"Not that we were already," a new voice said from the doorway.

My grin widened and in an instant I was next to the newcomer. "Itachi-kun!" I greeted while hugging the younger boy. He too was wearing one of the newly dubbed "Akatsuki" cloaks.

"I heard something interesting while I was out," Itachi commented once I'd let go. "Apparently there's some kind of harvest festival going on just north of the Konoha border. A big one."

My eyes lit up. "Seriously?! We _need_ to go! A fun break like that would be great for all of us."

"Uh, Kristy-chan," Deidara said apprehensively. "This is great and all, but you were the one going on about how we need to be careful, remember? Itachi, Sasori, and I are all missing-nin and Yugito is a runaway Jinchuuriki. Somehow I think that if we were to go to a big festival, _someone_ would notice us."

I waved off Deidara's argument. "Don't worry. I can put some illusions on all of you to make you look different. So long as you don't go more than a few miles from me they should hold and they also can't be dispelled like your Henge no Jutsu can."

"I'm all for it then!" the blonde exclaimed. "Should we go now?"

"I don't see why not. And before you ask, Itachi, _yes_ you have to come. I'm sure that it'll do you some good."

Itachi sighed, his protest dying on his lips. Once I was sure that he had agreed I dashed from the room to find Sasori and Yugito to tell them the news.

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The festival was all that I could have expected and more. There were thousands of people in the rather large village and there were booths everywhere. Supposedly there was even going to be fireworks that night! I hadn't even known that they _had_ fireworks in this world, considering as they don't have guns.

At the festival the Jinchuuriki and I split up to have some fun; Deidara and Yugito headed towards the games, Itachi went to go get something to eat, and Sasori probably went to find a secluded place. For my part, I was just wandering around, taking in the views. This was the first festival I'd been to since I was a little girl and it really brought back memories. Plus, it was the first real break that I'd had in the last year and I was determined to make the best of it.

After an hour or so of walking around I came across something of interest: a booth that was selling ink. Excited, I leaned over the table; these would be great for seals. Not to mention that the paper also sold here was of almost perfect quality!

"What's a young, pretty thing like you doing at a seal booth?" a voice behind me suddenly asked.

Instantly I froze. Not because of the voice, but rather because...Was that a hand on my ass?!

Moving like lightning I spun around and kneed the guy behind me in the balls and then jerked by knee up to hit him in the face as he doubled over. Gasping in surprise the man--whom I now noticed was in his fifties and had long, spiky white hair and strange, traditional-style clothes**(3)**--collapsed on the ground, curled into a fetal position. My eye twitching, I glared down at the lecherous old man before me. Fucking bastard.

To my immense surprise the man was up after only a few seconds. Such a kick should have kept anyone down quite a while, especially considering as we youkai generally have a lot more strength than humans do.

"Ah, a fight then," the man commented with a grin, as if the past few moments hadn't even happened. "I should have guessed from the way you stand." He paused to pick up a jar of ink from the table. "Ah, Kurosaki ink. The best, eh?"

I scowled darkly at the man but couldn't help but be drawn in by his comment. "Yeah," I agreed grudgingly. "But Henin is better for small details."

The white haired pervert turned to look at me, interest in his eyes. "So you _do_ know about seals then?"

I scowled again. "Yeah. What of it?"

"Ah, nothing! Nothing!" the man said quickly. "I'm just surprised is all; very few people are interested in seals and even fewer of them are women. It's just rare, ah...?"

"Kristy," I supplied with a sigh, resigning myself to this conversation. Though a bastard, there was a chance that this man could help me with a problem that I'd been having. "And you are...?"

The older man grinned so widely that I instantly regretted asking. "I," he bean while striking a strange pose, "Am Mt. Myobokugama's holy master Toad Hermit! I am Jiraiya of the Sannin, a summoner, a seal master, and, above all, a SUPER pervert!"

The man, Jiraiya, stayed in his pose, grinning as if he was expecting applause, but I just stared at him with one eye twitching. He was _proud_ to call himself a _super_ pervert?! Suddenly I didn't care that he was a seal master--I no longer had any wish to speak with this man.

"You..." I began slowly. My head was titled forwards so that my bangs were partially covering my face, hiding it from view.

"Yes?" Jiraiya prompted eagerly.

"You..." I continued, only to hesitate suddenly as I realized something.

Jiraiya had purposefully caught my attention so that he could speak with me about seals, then had skillfully manipulated me into revealing how much I knew about seals, and _then_ somehow even managed to get up after I'd attacked him. This man...Was a lot more than he seemed. He hid his intelligence and power behind the title of "super pervert", causing others to underestimate him. Slowly a smirk formed on my face and I lifted my head to eye Jiraiya in amusement.

"You are a very interesting person."

I could tell clearly from the widening of Jiraiya's eyes that I'd caught him off guard, but he managed to quickly cover this up with another big grin.

"But of course!" he exclaimed. "I _am_ the great Jiraiya after all!"

I chuckled and leaned forward against the seal booth. "So," I murmured without looking at the white haired man. "Seal master, eh? Perhaps you'll be able to answer a question for me then."

"Oh?" Jiraiya asked with one eyebrow raised in inquiry. "What kind of question?"

"Well, there's a seal that I'm working on right now that I need to be able to activate from a long distance, but I'm having trouble with the activation part, so..."

For a minute Jiraiya just stared at me his face blank. "...You're...formulating new seals?"

"...Uh, yes?"

"You..." Jiraiya continued to stare for another moment before he suddenly burst out laughing. He was howling so hard that he was literally holding his sides and gasping for breath. My eye began twitching in annoyance again. What the hell was _up_ with this guy?!

"S-sorry," he gasped out after a couple of minutes. He took a moment to wipe away the tears that had formed in his eyes. "It's just the _irony_..." He let out a giggle and then waved his hands around as if to ward off my anger. "Not many people other than seal masters create new seals, you know."

My anger evaporated as I blinked in surprise. "Eh? Really?" I said while scratching the back of my head awkwardly. "Well, I suppose it's because there aren't really any seals in existence that fit my purposes..."

Honestly, that was only half the truth. The other half was because regular seals weren't equipped to handle youki; they would just burn out and end up not working. So I had to create new seals not only to do what I wanted them to do, but also so that they could channel my youki.

Jiraiya studied me with a mix of seriousness and curiosity. "Well then, about your problem...You said that you just need to figure out how to activate seals over a long distance, right?"

"Yeah..."

"Well...You'd need some way to single out the seals that you want to activate, like some sort of a homing beacon...Perhaps an amplifier of some sort; something that resounds the signal between you and the seals..."

I tapped my chin thoughtfully. "I have heard," I began slowly, "that there are some crystals that are able to channel energy..."

"Yes!" Jiraiya said excitedly. "Quartz, for example, can channel and amplify chakra, and so can several other gems."

"And if a gem was placed over the seals," I continued, picking up on Jiraiya's enthusiasm, "Then the energy from the seal would be amplified through the gem and I'd be able to pick up on it and my energy would be drawn to it like a magnet!"

Before our conversation--which now involved the two of us leaning over the table and whispering excitedly--could progress any farther, Yugito appeared from within the throngs of people around us.

"Nee-san!" she said happily while practically tackling my leg. Though the girl was normally a blonde her hair was currently black and her eyes were azure. Deidara had a similar appearance while Itachi and Sasori looked more like me, with silver hair and sapphire eyes. "Guess what! Guess what! Dei-nii-san**(4)** bought me some--"

Suddenly Yugito froze as her eyes landed on Jiraiya. She quickly hid behind me and peeked around my waist to stare at the older man.

"Eh? Yugito-chan?" I said while blinking down in surprise at the girl. I flashed a quick smile at Jiraiya. "This is my imouto**(5)**, Yugito. She's a bit shy..." I looked back down at the child and smiled softly. "It's alright Yugito-chan. This is Jiraiya; he's a seal master."

Yugito continued to stare at the white haired shinobi with wide eyes. "He creates seals like nee-san?"

"Mm-hmm. By the way, where is Dei-kun?" I asked, careful not to use Deidara's full name in case Jiraiya recognized it and became suspicious.

"Umm..." Yugito blushed and looked down at the ground. "I don't know. I ran off when I saw you."

I chuckled lightly. It figures that not even Deidara would be able to find Yugito when she ran off.

'_**Deidara?**_' I called out with my mind. Doubtless he was panicking right now, trying to find Yugito.

'_**Kristy-chan? We've got a major problem! Yugito just suddenly dashed off and I can't find her anywhere!**_' Deidara replied. Fear was almost palpable in his voice.

'_**Deidara--**_'

'_**I've looked everywhere I can and--**_'

'_**Deidara--**_'

'_**--But she's not at the game booths or--**_'

'_**Deidara--**_'

'_**--And then I went over to the--**_'

'_**DEIDARA!**_'

'_**Huh?**_'

A growl surfaced in my throat and I just barely managed to keep a tic from appearing in my eye. '_**Yugito's with me. We're over at the seal booth, near the big willow tree.**_'

'_**Well why didn't you say so in the first place!**_' Deidara replied happily, as if he hadn't been panicking just moments before.

I mentally palmed my face. '_**Just get over here,**_' I told the hyperactive teen tiredly. '_**We're with a shinobi though, so be careful.**_' Without waiting for a reply I severed our telepathic link.

While I'd been "spacing out" Jiraiya had crouched down to speak with Yugito. For a moment I considered pulling Yugito away from him--he _was_ a pervert after all, seal master or not--but it turned out that he was surprisingly gentle with kids. Who'd have guessed?

"I'm sure he'll find us soon," I told Yugito with a tight smile once her attention had turned back on me. Dealing with Deidara could be exhausting even though he was only two years younger than me.

No sooner had I spoken that, a now black haired Deidara came bouncing into view. "Yugito-chan!" he exclaimed happily. "There you are!" His eyes flashed slightly as they rested on Jiraiya, but his grin never faltered.

'_**...Do you know him?**_' I asked Deidara curiously.

'_**Kristy...**_' Deidara began slowly. His voice sounded strange--almost strangled. '_**Do have any idea who that is?!'**_

'_**Er...Jiraiya of the Sannin?**_'

'_**Yes! Exactly!**_'

'_**...Is that supposed to mean something to me?**_'

'_**Kristy, the Sannin are three of the most powerful shinobi in the world! They answer only to the Hokage! ...Or at least two of them do; the third, Orochimaru, defected from Konohagakure no Sato some years ago.**_'

I found myself staring blankly at Jiraiya. '_**...Oh.**_'

'_**Yeah. "Oh". How is it that you manage to get yourself into these situations?**_' Deidara asked exasperatedly. It felt strange to here the normally immature boy sound so...knowledgeable. And it also reminded me how much of this world was still new to me, even after being here for almost a year and a half.

Who knew that things were going to be so complicated?

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"You look like you had fun," Itachi commented dryly.

I grinned at the currently silver haired Uchiha as I walked along side him. We and the rest of the Akatsuki--who were several feet ahead of us--were heading back to the Valley. "I did! Plus I'm pretty sure that I've figured out that answer to a problem that I've been having, thanks to Jiraiya-san. It's a good thing that Deidara-kun, Yugito-chan, and I left him before we met up with you though; out of anyone at that festival, he probably had the biggest chance of recognizing you. You've met him before right?"

Itachi grunted in agreement. "You're going to meet him again, right?" he asked.

"Yeah. We agreed to meet in about a week in order to discuss seals some more. It looks like we might be able to help each other out."

"Be careful then." I glanced at Itachi, surprised, but he just continued staring straight ahead as he spoke. "Jiraiya-sama travels the world maintaining an information network. You've never really been seen in the world much, but there's always the possibility that you could be connected to the Akatsuki."

I smirked widely, allowing one of my fangs to slip over my bottom lip. "I'll just have to use that information network to my benefit then, won't I?"

Itachi rolled his eyes while I began to cackle in amusement.

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A/N: All author notes will be at the end of the chapters now. Why? Because it makes it easier for me to comment on the chapter. And, of course, because I feel like it.

I had _so_ much fun writing this chapter. Jiraiya is a really amusing character, and I've found that he's even more interesting to write. He'll play a semi-large part in this story, though he might not appear again for a little while.

Several people have asked me how I'll be incorporating Naruto and Gaara into this story. My reply? You'll just have to wait and see. Yes, I do plan on having them as a large part of this story. Unfortunately they won't appear for a while yet, but I promise that they will eventually. I do have some good news though: It should only be a chapter or two more until Hiei comes back. (**grins**)

Please review! It helps to motivate authors to write, ya know (**winks**) Ja ne!

--B.I.


	12. Chapter 11: The Snake

Disclaimer: I do not own Yu Yu Hakusho or Naruto. Kiara is owned by Yusuke'sSister.

Claimer: I do own the plot line, the Kuro Tournament, Kristy, Jason, Jessica, Chris, Bashere, and anything else related to them.

"Talking"  
'_**Thinking**_'  
'_**Telepathy**_'

_Jinchuuriki - Youkai name - # of Tails - Youkai type  
_Yugito - Azami - two/Nibi - cat  
unknown - Hiroshi - three/Sanbi - shark  
Sasori - Kenta - four/Yonbi - scorpion  
unknown - Mikio - five/Gobi - wolf  
Itachi - Tasuki - six/Rokubi - weasel  
Deidara - Sadao - seven/Shichibi - badger  
unknown - Nobuo - eight/Hachibi - unknown

**Ages  
**Kristy - 19  
Itachi - 14  
Deidara - 16  
Sasori - 21  
Yugito - 9

(1) - The Bingo Book is a sort of "who's-who" handbook guide for shinobi. It lists all shinobi who pose a danger to their village, including its missing-nin and foreign ninja.

(2) - _Hachibi no Hebi_ means eight-tailed snake

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Under A Bloody Moon

Chapter 11  
_The Snake_

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_**The Valley, November, 1 Year SA**_

There was no way around it. For hours now I'd been attempting to ignore it, but now I realized that I had to stop hiding from the truth and face the facts: I was bored.

Yes, bored. Incredibly, disastrously bored. With so much to do in the Valley one would think that becoming bored would be hard. Normally this was true, but now...

Itachi and Sasori were out together on a mission, while Deidara was out meeting with a contact of his. Yugito was sleeping in her room, completely exhausted from her last training session with Azami. I'd spent the morning working on my seals, but had come into a small roadblock, stopping me from doing any further work. And I didn't have a meeting with Jiraiya scheduled until later in the week...

And thus I was left with little to do. I'd tried training to get my mind off my boredom. It hadn't worked very well because my mind had kept on wandering, causing me to make mistakes. I'd then tried reading a scroll, but also couldn't keep my mind on it.

Thus I was now lying upside down in one of the chairs in the living room, bored out of my mind. Who'd have thought that there was nothing to do here? Or at least, nothing to do on my own. I hadn't realized just how much the jinchuuriki were a part of my life until none of them were around.

'_**Aw, surely it can't be **__**that**__** bad,**_' a voice suddenly spoke in my mind.

Instantly my eyes widened in shock. '_**Jagan?!**_'

The Jagan chuckled. '_**The one and only,**_' he replied somewhat smugly.

'_**But how--?!**_' I spluttered.

'_**Come come, don't you remember our first conversation? I speak to you across any distance.**_'

Ah, right; that whole "concentration of psychic energy" thing. '_**Oh. So, erm, how are you?**_'

'_**Heh, well enough,**_' the Jagan murmured. '_**You've**__** certainly been busy though.**_'

'_**Gathering up the Biju? Yeah, I have. There are only three of them left now, fortunately.**_'

'_**Mmm, yes. That should be...interesting.**_'

'_**What?**_' I asked, furrowing my brow in confusion. '_**...What do you know that I don't?**_'

'_**Nothing that you're ready to hear,**_' he replied. I growled but didn't press him for information, knowing that there was no way for me to get him to give it. '_**Your friends have been looking for you,**_' he said suddenly.

My ears perked up at that. '_**You mean Jessica, Chris, and the Reikai Tentai? How are they?**_'

'_**As well as they can be considering the situation.**_'

'_**...What they hell is that supposed to mean?**_'

The Jagan laughed once more, but this time it sounded as if the sound was beginning to fade. '_**You shall see,**_' the Jagan said, amusement clear in his voice. '_**You shall see. Oh, and give Rokuro my regards, will you?**_'

This time I really did snarl. Not that it did any good--I could tell that the Jagan was gone.

Damn bastard and his cryptic words! What the hell was that all supposed to mean? What exactly did he know?

"Hey, Kristy-chan," a familiar voice said from the doorway.

Surprised and elated--and thankfully broken from my dark musings--I attempted to leap up from the chair I was in. Consider my position however, I instead managed to somehow knock the chair over and collapse on top of it with a strangled grunt. I paused only for a moment before extricating myself from the chair, this time much more slowly.

"Uh, hey, Deidara-kun," I greeted the blonde once I was finally standing. He just sweatdropped, amused by my sudden bout of clumsiness. "Are you finally back from your meeting?"

"Eh? Oh, yeah, it went fine," Deidara replied, sounding strangely distracted. "But I have news that I think you'll like a bit better."

"Hmm?"

"I think I might have found another jinchuuriki!"

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_**Rice Country, November, 1 Year SA**_

The tavern was dark, dingy, and in state of disrepair. Of course, in my excitement I barely even noticed this. To think that I'd been so bored just an hour ago and was now on my way to meet another jinchuuriki! Granted, there was still a chance that this was all a trap and that it wasn't a jinchuuriki--hence why Deidara had fetched me, so that I could check to make sure--but more likely than not it was.

Deidara walked just a few feet ahead of me, pushing his way through the somewhat crowded tavern. He led me over to a corner of the tavern, where he'd agreed to meet up with the jinchuuriki. Apparently the man had approached Deidara because he was interested in joining the Akatsuki and was claiming that, as a Jinchuuriki, he was powerful and could be an asset. He wasn't the first shinobi to express interest in joining, but he was the first to claim to be a jinchuuriki.

Finally Deidara stopped in front of a table shoved against a wall of the tavern. Sitting there, sipping from a traditional wooden cup, was a man with long black hair. He glanced up at Deidara and I, revealing golden eyes with slitted pupils. His skin was so pale that it almost verged on gray.

Though it took a moment, I suddenly realized that there was chakra wrapped around the man. "You're under a henge," I abruptly stated. The illusion had no affect on me because I was a youkai and thus my mind was protected, but that didn't mean that I could recognize it for what it was.

The man's eyes widened in surprise before his face dropped back into neutrality. "Yes," he admitted. "My face is rather...well known...so I'd prefer not to be recognized in public."

My lips pursed for a moment. That _did_ make sense; after all, all of the members of Akatsuki except for Yugito and I were missing-nin, and all of the shinobi who'd asked to join us had been missing-nin too. Why should this man be any different?

"May we?" I asked while gesturing to the seats across from the yellow eyed man. He instantly nodded.

"By all means, please do," he replied pleasantly and Deidara and I took our seats. "You are the...Leader...?" I nodded wordlessly. "I am Orochimaru, originally of the Village Hidden in the Leaves."

Next to me Deidara tensed. Sensing his surprise I quickly opened my mental link with him. '_**You know of him?**_' I asked the blonde.

'_**...Kristy, do you remember how when you first Jiraiya I told you that he was one of the Sannin?**_'

'_**Eh? Yeah...?**_'

Deidara chuckled mentally with more than a little bit of hysteria. '_**Orochimaru is another of the Sannin and is considered to be the most powerful. There was quite the uproar when he defected from the Hidden Leaf some years ago. He's an S-class missing-nin and one of the most powerful men in existence. I'd never heard that he was a jinchuuriki...Though it **__**would**__** explain how he's so powerful...**_'

'_Hmm..._' I thought while tilting my head to the side and studying Orochimaru. I could tell even from this distance that he _was_ in fact a jinchuuriki; youki was practically seeping from him. Despite this I still felt somewhat hesitant. Somehow I felt that this man was different from the other jinchuuriki that I knew.

As quickly as this thought passed through my mind I shoved it aside. Doubtless I was feeling strange simply because of how much older this man was compared to the rest of us; though it was hard to tell he appeared to be in his mid thirties.

"So, what makes you think that you're capable enough to join the Akatsuki?" I asked abruptly.

Orochimaru hesitated. "Perhaps we should take this conversation somewhere more...secure?"

I chuckled darkly. "Oh, you don't need to worry about that," I replied with a feral grin. "No one will overhear us. Hell, no one will even notice us here."

Even before Deidara and I had sat down I'd set up a psychic barrier around the table to divert people's attention away. They wouldn't even remember that we'd been there. Orochimaru hesitated once more but finally nodded, apparently deciding that I, as the Akatsuki's "leader", must have secured this meeting.

"What makes you think that you're capable enough to join the Akatsuki?" I repeated.

"My Bingo Book**(1)** rating as an S-rank Missing-nin should speak for my abilities," the pale man said confidently. Honestly, the self-assured smirk on his face pissed me off, but I did my best to ignore it. "However, on top if that I am a jinchuuriki, as I told Deidara-san. This gives me access to a nearly infinite amount of energy."

I barely managed to repress a snort. What was it with humans thinking that youkai had infinite amounts of youki? Sure, compared to humans we may have a lot, but it was _nowhere_ near infinite.

"What youkai do you hold?"

"The Hachibi no Hebi**(2)**."

'_Eight tails?_' I thought. Considering the Biju that were left that could only be Nobuo! So he _was_ in this world. '_And we'll finally be able to find out what happened to Rokuro, the last Battle Lord!_'

'_**Deidara--**_'

'_**Tasuki-sempai confirms that Nobuo was a snake youkai,**_' the blonde told me before I could even ask. Not for the first time I was thankful that all of the jinchuuriki had managed to from mental links with their Biju; it made communicating so much easier.

"My name is Kristy," I finally said to Orochimaru. "And before you join Akatsuki you should know that I'm the Makai's Battle Lord."

Orochimaru made no attempt to hide the widening of his eyes. Well, that proved one thing at least: He was in contact with Nobuo. There was no other way for him to know of the meaning of my title. Briefly I allowed the illusions of my face to drop, showing Orochimaru the mark that I bore.

"Also, the rest of the Akatsuki are jinchuuriki as well," I continued. "I've been, ah, gathering them up."

After a moment Orochimaru began to chuckle; it was a low, menacing sound that sent shivers down my spin. "Ku ku ku, that explains a lot," the dark hared jinchuuriki responded. "I suppose this means that I've been accepted?"

I forced myself to smile. "Of course."

I'd just found another of the Biju, so I _should_ be happy, right? Then why did it feel like I'd just made a mistake?

--X--X--X--X--X--X--X--X--X--X--X--X--X--X--X--X--X--X--X--X--X--X--

_**The Valley, February, 1 Year SA**_

Orochimaru settled into life at the Valley fairly easily. It felt somewhat odd to have him there at first, but before long we warmed up to him and he fit right in with our little ragtag band of shinobi. On one day in the middle of winter however, this was the furthest thing from my mind.

"YES!" I hollered at the top of my lungs. "It's done!"

For several moments there was complete silence in the house and then Deidara and Yugito appeared in the doorway to my workroom, curiosity clear on their faces. Trailing along somewhat reluctantly behind them were Itachi, Sasori, and Orochimaru.

"What's done?" Deidara asked.

I ignored him and the others momentarily in favor of dancing around the room for a minute. Once I was done I breathlessly came to a stop in front of the door.

"Done with these!" I replied while excitedly shoving my hands and their contents forward.

Itachi raised an eyebrow. "Rings?"

"Yes, yes. But these are _very_ special rings and are what I've been working on for the past six months." I turned back into the room while motioning for the others to follow. "Come, sit. I'll explain everything."

Quickly everyone took a seat at the table that occupied the room. Or at least they did after I'd cleared everything off it and then scrounged up a few more chairs. Taking a seat for myself I carefully picked up one of the rings and held it for everyone to see.

"As you all know," I began, "For a while a big concern of mine has been how we can keep in contact over long distances, as telepathy only works within a mile or so radius. The rings are solution to this. Below this jewel--" I tapped the crimson stone on top of the ring that had a Japanese character carved into it. "--Are several miniscule seals that act as a homing beacon for my youki. These seals are amplified by the jewel--"

"Because crystals naturally attract energy," Orochimaru finished. He looked thoughtful.

"Right," I agreed with a nod. Being Jiraiya's ex-teammate, it was no wonder he understood. I wasn't going to mention Jiraiya around Orochimaru though, even though the perverted old man had been an immense help in creating these rings. Not that Jiraiya had known that they'd be used for telepathy, of course...

"Anyways," I continued, "These rings will allow me to contact anyone wearing them, no matter the distance...Theoretically, of course. Oh! And if you're in a tough spot all you have to do is channel some chakra into them and the shadows will instantly transport you to wherever I am. _That_ little trick took me forever to get right. Damn complex seals..."

"_Cool_," Yugito breathed, her eyes wide with awe. Deidara's expression mirrored hers and even Itachi and Sasori looked mildly impressed.

"So we each get one?" Sasori finally asked.

I nodded. "Yep. There's more than enough for everyone and I can always make more if I need to. Each of them has a different Kanji carved into the jewel, so just pick whichever one you like best."

Surprisingly, Itachi was the first one to reach out and pick up a ring. His had "Shu" (scarlet) carved into it.

"I'll take this one," the young teenager said. "It's only fitting since the Uchiha clan is well-known for its mastery of fire."

This seemed to snap everyone out of their stupors and they all quickly reach out to snap up a ring of their own. In the end Deidara got "Sei" (Blue-Green), Sasori got "Tama" (sphere), Orochimaru got "Sora" (sky), and Yugito got "Byaku" (white). For myself, I chose the one with "Rei" (zero).

"Perfect!" I exclaimed while clapping my hands lightly. "Now, since we're all here, does anyone else have any news?"

Sasori shifted in his seat, bringing my attention to him. The redhead looked hesitant, which was unusual for him. "There...there's a possibility that I've managed to locate another jinchuuriki. It's _only_ a possibility, mind you."

I quickly became excited. "Really?! Where is he?"

"Well, the thing is, he's a member of the Seven Swordsmen of the Mist."

While the others exchanged somewhat worried glances I simply became confused. "Er, what?" I asked.

Sasori sighed. "In the Village Hidden in the Mist there is a group of elite swordsmen, called the Seven Swordsmen of the Mist, who are considered to be the most powerful shinobi in the Village. Hoshigaki Kisame, the man who I believe may be a jinchuuriki, is the second most powerful of this group."

I found myself frowning. While this was good news, there was something that was bothering me.

"You say that he's the _second_ most powerful, so...Who's the first?"

"A man who fights like the devil himself," Sasori said seriously. "It's said that his skill with the sword is unparalleled and that his speed in unrivaled throughout the entire shinobi world."

"And his name?"

"Jaganshi Hiei."

--X--X--X--X--X--X--X--X--X--X--X--X--X--X--X--X--X--X--X--X--X--X--

A/N: Dun dun dun! Do I need to say anything else? No, I don't believe I do. _Please_ review though! I've been getting only a bare handful of reviews for the last two chapters and it's really sad...Ja ne!

--B.I.


	13. Chapter 12: The Mist

Disclaimer: I do not own Yu Yu Hakusho or Naruto. Kiara is owned by Yusuke'sSister.

Claimer: I do own the plot line, the Kuro Tournament, Kristy, Jason, Jessica, Chris, Bashere, and anything else related to them.

"Talking"  
'_**Thinking**_'  
'_**Telepathy**_'

_Jinchuuriki - Youkai name - # of Tails - Youkai type  
_Yugito - Azami - two/Nibi - cat  
unknown - Hiroshi - three/Sanbi - shark  
Sasori - Kenta - four/Yonbi - scorpion  
unknown - Mikio - five/Gobi - wolf  
Itachi - Tasuki - six/Rokubi - weasel  
Deidara - Sadao - seven/Shichibi - badger  
Orochimaru - Nobuo - eight/Hachibi - snake

**Ages  
**Kristy - 19  
Itachi - 14  
Deidara - 16  
Sasori - 21  
Yugito - 9  
Orochimaru - 40

(1) - Sanbi no Kisame means "Three tailed demon shark".

--X--X--X--X--X--X--X--X--X--X--X--X--X--X--X--X--X--X--X--X--X--X--

Under A Bloody Moon

Chapter 12  
_The Mist_

--X--X--X--X--X--X--X--X--X--X--X--X--X--X--X--X--X--X--X--X--X--X--

_**The Valley, February, 1 Year SA**_

I stared at Sasori with wide, shocked eyes. No way. There was _no way_ that what he was saying could be true. I mean, Hiei? He couldn't be in this world! Surely it was just some guy with the same name...And skill with the sword. And speed.

...Right?

"Kristy?" Itachi said, concern creeping into his voice. "Are you alright?"

Quickly I shook myself from my stupor, my face taking on uncharacteristic seriousness. "We need to go to the Mist. Now. And yes, I know that things are pretty tense right now, but it doesn't matter. We need to speak with this jinchuuriki, and there's also something else that I need to check out."

"Can I come?" Yugito asked hopefully.

"No," I answered firmly. "Stay here and don't leave the Valley. There's food's in the fridge if we're gone for that long. The rest of you, go collect your things and meet me in the living room. We're leaving in five minutes."

No one argued, though they did all exchange a quick glance before moving off to collect their things. For my part I began picking up several scrolls containing things that I might need. If this Hiei was the one I knew--which, though I tried to convince myself otherwise, I knew was the truth. He was called _Jaganshi_ Hiei, after all--then...Well things just got _really_ bad, not because of Hiei, but because of what his presence meant.

The last I could remember of the Makai was Bashere releasing that portal while Hiei ran towards me. Hiei clearly had gotten caught in this portal as well, and sent here with me. The problem was that this meant that there was a high possibility that Bashere was here as well. Which was bad. Really, _really_ bad.

"Kristy..." Orochimaru spoke from the doorway. I glanced up briefly and saw a frown on his face. "You know this 'Hiei', don't you?"

"...Possibly."

"Nobuo..." Orochimaru began, only to hesitate. Curious, I turned to fully face the golden eyed jinchuuriki. "Nobuo says he recognizes the name, but can't remember where he's heard it before."

"He's definitely a youkai though," a smooth voice said from the side. I tensed up and looked over to where a ghost-like Nobuo was leaning up against one of the walls; he was projecting himself into the physical world.

From the moment I'd first met him, only a day after Orochimaru had joined the Akatsuki, I decided that Nobuo was a strange character. Though he was humanoid in shape, he also clearly resembled a snake. Nobuo stood at almost six and a half feet tall, towering over the rest of us but me in particular, but was so thin he seemed to be made of nothing but bones and skin. His skin had a grayish tone--which Orochimaru doubtlessly got from him--and his head was completely smooth, devoid of any hair, even eyebrows. He was wearing a simple black traditional Japanese outfit.

Out of all of this however, I'd have to say that Nobuo's two most defining features were his nose and his eyes. Or his lack of nose, rather. It was flat against his face and consisted of two slits, exactly like a snake's. Nobuo's eyes honestly bothered me. They were blood red, but at the same time were nothing like Hiei's.

While I was glad to have finally met Nobuo, he hadn't been able to tell us what had happened to Rokuro; according to him he'd been caught in the same portal as Sadao. Short of finding Rokuro himself, we now had no way of knowing what had happened. Although...I could ask Bashere, but I'd much rather hope that I'd never meet him again.

"Nobuo," I greeted with a nod of my head. My eyes slipped back over to Orochimaru. I was thankful that the jinchuuriki didn't have the same eyes as his youkai. "And if he is who I think he is, then yes, he's a youkai. Now if you'll excuse me, I need to go get a few things from my room."

Without waiting for a reply, I left the room and hurried down the hall. Once in my room I began to swiftly gather a few things I thought I might need, but my mind was barely even half on the task. Instead, I was thinking about this new revelation.

Hiei...Kami, I couldn't believe that Hiei was actually here. In this world! I wondered briefly why the Jagan hadn't told me, but just as quickly brushed that thought off; that bastard probably thought this whole situation was infinitely amusing.

My hands stilled of a scroll as my eyes stared through it, not actually seeing it. It had been so long since I'd seen any of my friends and now I was on my way to see Hiei. It all seemed so surreal. Hiei...I wondered how he'd changed in the last few years. He must have had to adapt to this world as well, which was probably why he'd joined these "Seven Swordsmen of the Mist".

My eyes closed as I titled my head back and allowed a small smile to flit across my face. It would be...nice to see him again. I'd thought of him and my other friends so much over the past year and a half. I couldn't help but wonder if he'd thought of me too...

Just as soon as that thought passed through my mind a blush immediately leapt onto my face. Kami, what was I _thinking_?

"Kristy-nee-chan?"

I jumped in surprise and whirled around to face my doorway. Itachi was standing there, one dark eyebrow arched and a curious look on his face.

"Itachi...!" I squeaked as I quickly pushed down my flush as it threatened to darken in embarrassment. It must have looked so weird for him to see me standing there, smiling at the ceiling. "Um, what is it?"

His eyebrow didn't lower. "We're all ready to go."

I almost jumped again in surprise. Shit! I'd completely forgotten that I was packing. In a whorl of motion I quickly pushed all of my things on top of a scroll that was spread across my bed. A quick burst of youki later and all of the items had disappeared.

I absolutely loved sealing scrolls like this one. The seals on them basically allowed you to seal items away into a "pocket-dimension", where they'd be stored until you unsealed them. They were incredibly useful because they allowed you to carry many items without them taking up any space.

"Come on then," I called over my shoulder as I hurried out the room. "Let's go." I didn't need to look back to know that Itachi was rolling his eyes.

Everyone, including Yugito, was gathered in the living room. I knew without needing to ask that they all also had sealing scrolls on them; apparently such scrolls were very common among shinobi, for obvious reasons.

"Everyone ready?" I asked brightly. Once they'd all nodded I turned to Yugito. "Make sure to stay out of trouble, Yugito-chan, and keep on training with Azami-san."

Yugito nodded, although she looked more than a little disappointed about being left behind on this "adventure". I smiled reassuringly at the child and the called up the shadows around me and the others, prepared to travel to Water Country.

--X--X--X--X--X--X--X--X--X--X--X--X--X--X--X--X--X--X--X--X--X--X--

**Hidden Mist Village, February, 1 Year S.A.**

The Village Hidden in the Mist was much like I'd expected it to be. Namely, misty. The buildings were the same half feudal era, half modern era style that was found throughout this world, but they were half hidden by the mist that permeated the entire area. Considering as the Village was located on an island I suppose it wasn't that unusual, but I still felt as though there might be some sort of a jutsu causing the mist.

"Split up," I told the rest of the Akatsuki, "And search the Village for any information about where the Seven Swordsmen are. Be discrete but quick about it. When you've found something tell me by using your new rings."

The four shinobi nodded and then almost instantly disappeared. I took the main street of the Village--a broad avenue clogged with throngs of people, mostly civilians--as my area to search. As I walked I skimmed the through tops of people's minds, looking for any information of whereabouts of the Seven Swordsmen of the Mist. Unfortunately, since most of the people _were_ civilians, there was little to no information to be found.

After almost an hour of useless information I was starting to get more than just a little frustrated. These Swordsmen were supposed to be famous, so how come practically no one knew _anything_ about them? I released a sigh. Well, that's shinobi for you; ever paranoid.

'_**Kristy?**_' Sasori suddenly called out, using our new rings to link our minds. I had to smile briefly at their effectiveness. '_**I believe I've found some of the Swordsmen, including the jinchuuriki.**_'

'_**Alright. Tell me where you are and how to get there. I'll pass this on to everyone else as well,**_' I replied. '_**don't confront them for now; just keep tabs on them.**_'

I just a minute I was flying through the backstreets of the Village, invisible to the naked eye. Traveling at top speed, I quickly made it to the open training ground, where Sasori was waiting.

I came to a stop next to the redheaded shinobi, who barely even glanced at me. He was crouched on one of the upper branches of a tree while watch three figures in the distance through the foliage.

"Is that them?" I questioned.

Sasori nodded. "Yes. Wanna guess which one's the jinchuuriki?"

I raised an eyebrow in confusion, but as soon as I looked closer at the three men I realized what he'd meant. The first two of them were normal--well, at least relatively so. The first man stood at about five and a half feet, had long dark brown hair, and wielded a two hook bladed swords. The other was over six feet tall, had black hair, and had bandages covering his nose and mouth like some sort of makeshift mask. A massive head-cleaver, about six feet long and one foot wide, was strapped to his back.

The last man, however, had blue skin. _Blue_. I was pretty sure I'd never even seen a youkai with a blue skin. This one was almost certainly the jinchuuriki, unless he'd recently decided to take a dip in a vat of toxic paint. He also was just about as tall as the black haired man, had spiky blue hair that was only just a few shades darker than his skin--, and had a broadsword that was a little smaller than the second man's head-cleaver. All three of the swordsmen were in their early twenties, though the second man looked to be closer to my age.

Well, at least we now knew which jinchuuriki we were dealing with; that skin could only mean that his youkai was Hiroshi, the Sanbi no Kisame**(1)**. And were those _gills_ on his cheeks? How did that even work? Definitely the shark youkai.

The soft sound of a pair of feet landing on the branch next to me signaled Itachi's arrival on the scene. Shortly afterwards Deidara and Orochimaru joined us as well.

"How should we approach this situation?" Itachi asked quietly. "The rest of us were Missing-nin when you found us, but he's still loyal to his Village."

I opened my mouth to reply, only to halt and narrow my eyes when my ear caught something. "Wait," I said instead and focused my sensitive hearing on the three in the field.

"We shouldn't be out in the open like this," the first man was saying. His tight voice revealed his nervousness even as his face remained impassive, instantly making me curious as to what he was talking about.

The black haired swordsmen snorted. "Raiga, to anyone else it'll look like we're getting together to spar," he said. "And besides, we'll be able to tell if anyone other than an S-class shinobi approaches.

"Still, Zabuza, I don't--"

"Oh for the love of--" the second man, Zabuza, cut in, "Kisame, can you _please_ tell this moron to shut up and stop whining before I force him to shut up?!"

The jinchuuriki wordlessly rolled his eyes and then turned his back on his two companions, letting them know exactly what he thought of their bickering.

"It doesn't change the fact that this could ruin everything," Raiga growled. "It's rare to see more than two of us in one place, so--"

The man was cut off by a forth person, one much shorter than all of them, appearing suddenly in their midst. All three of them jumped and Zabuza even half drew his sword.

"Hiei! Don't _do_ that!" Kisame snapped. "We're already high-strung as it is!" Hiei simply leveled one of his famous death glares on Kisame, instantly shutting the jinchuuriki up.

In my spot in the tree my hands balled into fist and my eyes opened wide. '_Hiei..._' I thought while staring at the short fire youkai. Kami, it was so strange to see him after so long. He hadn't changed at all, but of course he _was_ a youkai and it _had_ only been a year.

A grin wormed its way onto my face and a giddy feel bloomed in my stomach. Wordlessly I signaled for the rest of the Akatsuki to stay where they were and then leapt from the tree. Using pure speed I practically blurred into existence in front of the four Swordsmen.

The second my feet touched the ground I had five blades aiming for my neck. Twisting and ducking at the same time I avoided Zabuza's head-cleaver, pushed Kisame's broadsword away with one foot, and deflected Raiga's twin hooked swords with one of my katana. In the next second I brought my second katana up to parry Hiei's blade. A wide smirk on my face, I pushed myself forward until I was just inches from Hiei with only our blades separating us.

Hiei's face briefly formed a scowl, but in an instant it disappeared to be replaced with shock as his crimson eyes met my own. His grip on his katana slackened to the point that it almost slipped from his grip and he took a few stumbling steps backwards.

"Kristy?!" he spluttered as he stared at me incredulously. "H-how-- Where...What?!" There was a brief pause. "...What happened to your wolf ears?"

--X--X--X--X--X--X--X--X--X--X--X--X--X--X--X--X--X--X--X--X--X--X--

A/N: (**cringes away from readers**) Erm, sorry about the long wait after the last cliffhanger. Ironically, I usually tend to be _more_ busy during the summer. I fully blame work. And, yes this is another nasty cliffhanger (**grins**) I honestly meant to go quite a bit further in this chapter, but I figured that I'd better get this out now, so that you don't have to wait any longer.

I should also mention that a head-cleaver is basically a massive broadsword. Massive as in human-sized. And yes, Kisame's blade is also technically a head-cleaver rather than a broadsword, but when writing it's easier to refer to them as two different names. There's links to pictures of the three members of the Mist Seven and their blades in my profiles. Oh, and please also note that Kisame's sword is currently not wrapped in bandages like it is in Naruto.

And finally, thanks for all the reviews for the last chapter! It's really encouraging to know that so many people are enjoying this story. Tell ya what, if I get another large batch or reviews for this chapter, I'll try to get the next chapter done really soon. Granted, my sadistic little muse will probably force me to anyway, but that's beside the point. Ja ne!

--B.I.


	14. Chapter 13: The Coup

Disclaimer: I do not own Yu Yu Hakusho or Naruto. Kiara is owned by Yusuke'sSister.

Claimer: I do own the plot line, the Kuro Tournament, Kristy, Jason, Jessica, Chris, Bashere, and anything else related to them.

"Talking"  
'_Thinking_'  
'_**Telepathy**_'

_Jinchuuriki - Youkai name - # of Tails - Youkai type  
_Yugito - Azami - two/Nibi - cat  
Kisame - Hiroshi - three/Sanbi - shark  
Sasori - Kenta - four/Yonbi - scorpion  
unknown - Mikio - five/Gobi - wolf  
Itachi - Tasuki - six/Rokubi - weasel  
Deidara - Sadao - seven/Shichibi - badger  
Orochimaru - Nobuo - eight/Hachibi - snake

**Ages  
**Kristy - 19  
Itachi - 14  
Deidara - 16  
Sasori - 21  
Yugito - 9  
Orochimaru - 40  
Kisame - 26  
Hiei - unknown  
Raiga - 25  
Zabuza - 23

(1) - Onee-chan means older sister.

--X--X--X--X--X--X--X--X--X--X--X--X--X--X--X--X--X--X--X--X--X--X--

Under A Bloody Moon

Chapter 13  
_The Coup_

--X--X--X--X--X--X--X--X--X--X--X--X--X--X--X--X--X--X--X--X--X--X--

**Hidden Mist Village, February, 1 Year S.A.**

For several long moments no one made any sound as I stared blankly at Hiei. Then in one swift movement I wrapped an arm around the back of Hiei's neck, pulled him down to my level, and began to give him a noogie.

"Hiei!" I growled in mock anger, "I don't see you for almost two years and then the first thing you can say to me is, 'What happened to your ears?'?!"

Abruptly I paused with a pensive look on my face, considering Hiei's question and allowing him to escape my grip. Half self-consciously and half absentmindedly I patted the top of my head where my wolf ears had once existed.

"You know," I said thoughtfully, "I don't really know. They and my...other appendages disappeared when I...arrived."

As Hiei and I spoke the other three Swordsmen had been looking back and forth between us with incredulous expressions. "You know her/him?" two voices suddenly asked. The two speakers, Kisame and Itachi--who apparently had just appeared behind me--glanced at each other with raised eyebrows.

A quick glance behind me showed that the rest of the Akatsuki was standing there was well. They and the three Swordsmen were regarding each other with obvious distrust while Hiei and I stood in the middle.

"Unfortunately," Hiei answered with a snort, but there was no venom in his voice.

I clapped a hand over my heart. "Ah, Hiei-kun, you wound me!" I exclaimed. "Is this how you great your most beloved teammate?"

Hiei raised one dark eyebrow. "Teammate? I seem to remember that we were on opposing teams during the tournament."

"Yes, yes, but we were friends long before the Kuro Incident."

Hiei's second eyebrow joined the first near his hairline. "The 'Kuro Incident'?" he questioned, amusement clear in his voice.

"Yes," I said with a resolute nod, "The Kuro Incident."

Hiei rolled his eyes, which in turn caused _me_ to become amused; I was pretty sure I'd never seen him do _that_ before. He must have been in a good mood or something, especially since he was talking so much.

"Right, well, who are you lot anyway?" Zabuza suddenly cut in. A glare was fixed firmly on his face.

I rubbed the back of my neck sheepishly. "Ah, right, sorry about that. I'm Kristy, an old friend of Hiei's. My friends are Uchiha Itachi, Deidara, Sasori, and Orochimaru."

With each name the three Swordsmen grew more and more shocked. When I finally reached Orochimaru's, Zabuza was practically choking and even Hiei was staring at me in surprise.

The small fire youkai shook his head ruefully. "Only you would become friends with a group of S-class Missing-nin," he said dryly.

"Of course," I replied with a grin. "The situation is actually quite a bit more complicated that that, but I'll explain all that later. In the mean time, who...?" I trailed off and gestured to Hiei's comrades.

"Hn," Hiei grunted, growing serious once more. "This is Kurosuki Raiga, Momochi Zabuza, and Hoshigaki Kisame. They're members of the Seven Swordsmen of the Mist, along with myself. And the explanation for how that came about can wait until later, so don't even ask."

My mouth snapped shut with an audible click and I flushed at how easily Hiei was able to read me. Did he really know me so well?

"Now, exactly what _are_ you doing here in the Hidden Mist Village?" Hiei asked.

My eyes briefly flickered over to Kisame before focusing back on Hiei. After only a moment's contemplation I decided that telling the truth would be the best and most profitable route to take. I released a quiet sigh and then launched into a recount of the past year and a half that had all four of the Swordsmen enraptured.

When I finally finished Zabuza let out a low whistle. "So the Akatsuki is made up of jinchuuriki?" he mused. "No wonder you're al S-class shinobi..."

"And it looks like you're being bumped down the line again, eh Zabuza?" Raiga said with a smirk as he nudged the taller shinobi in the ribs. Zabuza responded with a glare that could have wilted flowers.

I stared at the two in confusion, not at all understanding what Raiga had meant by that. I transferred my questioning gaze to Hiei, but surprisingly it was Kisame who finally spoke up.

"Zabuza is known as the 'Demon of the Mist' for his ruthlessness," the jinchuuriki said, "But the three of us know that Hiei is an actual youkai. Now with you here there are two youkai, so he's being 'bumped down the line', if you will."

As Kisame finished I couldn't help but snicker slightly. The situation _was_ amusing; it was a human and not Hiei, a youkai, who was called the "Demon". Raiga and Kisame doubtless got a kick out of that.

"I'm surprised that you accept that Kristy's a youkai so easily," Sasori commented.

Kisame shrugged. "We've known that Hiei is a youkai for a while now, so if she says she is, I'll believe it," he replied. "Plus she's an old friend of Hiei's, so it only makes sense." Suddenly Kisame grinned widely, revealing rows and rows of sharp teeth and once again causing him to greatly resemble a shark. "Not to mention that you guys being here couldn't have come at a more opportune time."

Raiga looked at him sharply. "You can't honestly mean--?!"

"No, he's right," Hiei interrupted. He studied me with a thoughtful expression. "This may just be the very push that we need to succeed."

"Push?" I asked with a raised eyebrow. Eagerly I scooted closer to Hiei. "Alright, you've caught my attention. What's this about?"

The four Swordsmen shared a glance before nodding simultaneously. "We've been planning a coup," Hiei said bluntly.

For a moment all I could do was stare at him. "...Seriously? You're planning on taking over Mist's government?"

"The government as it is now is inept and corrupted," Zabuza said passionately. "Our economy is slowly but surely dieing while old officials grow fat on the tax money of our citizens. We barely survived the last Secret Shinobi War even though we weren't officially a part of it, and ever since then the Mizukage has been little more than a puppet for the government. The way things are now, if there's another major conflict Mist will be easily overrun! I _REFUSE_ to allow that to happen to my country!"

For several minutes after Zabuza finished his impromptu speech I silently contemplated his words. To be entirely honest, I was somewhat moved by the passion and pure emotion that he'd put into his words. He truly believed in what he was doing. Finally I opened up a mental link with all of the Akatsuki.

'_**What do you guys think?**_' I asked.

'_**We should definitely help out!**_' Deidara said instantly. The others were a bit more reserved.

'_**The repercussions if we get caught would be pretty bad,**_' Sasori murmured. '_**And it'll be us and whoever these Swordsmen have against all of Mist. Those aren't good odds.**_'

'_**We can disguise ourselves as Mist shinobi,**_' Deidara argued. '_**That way no one will know who we are.**_'

'_**The idea does have merits,**_' Orochimaru commented. '_**If the coup succeeds then we will have close ties to the Village Hidden in the Mist and will possibly even be able to get political immunity here.**_'

'_**Itachi?**_' I questioned while mulling over the others' answers. '_**What about you?**_'

'_**...I will follow whatever you choose to do, Onee-chan**_(1)_**,**_'

I blinked in surprise at the unexpected answer. '_**Umm, okay then, I guess that's a vote of two to one. We'll be assisting the coup. We'll do it undisguised though; we'll probably have more of an impact if people see and know that the Akatsuki are supporting the coup.**_'

"We'll help," I said aloud while turning back to the Mist-nin. "So, how will you be going about this?"

Raiga, Zabuza, and Kisame shared wide grins. Zabuza pulled out a scroll that'd been hidden somewhere on his person and the rest of us gather around him as he opened it up.

"Alright then, here's the plan..."

--X--X--X--X--X--X--X--X--X--X--X--X--X--X--X--X--X--X--X--X--X--X--

"Teams Alpha and Beta are in position," Zabuza was saying into a radio mike. "Team Gamma, commence operation. Team Delta is performing a sweep of the area and--"

I tuned the older shinobi out and turned to Hiei. He, Zabuza, Raiga, Kisame, and the Akatsuki and I were in a dark building in the middle of Mist that was being used as a sort of "head of operations". Zabuza, I'd found, was definitely the head of the coup even though Kisame and Hiei were far more powerful than him. He was the one who was the most passionate about it and he was also the one who'd organized everything and had brought quite a few shinobi in on the plan. Considering that he'd most likely become the Mizukage is this succeeded, it was good that he had such a strong sense of leadership, despite his relatively young age.

"So when are we leaving?" I quietly asked Hiei.

"Just as soon as Zabuza's done making sure everyone is in position and has secured the outer guard posts and facilities," he replied. "Then he'll send the Akatsuki off on their missions while the rest of us will head over to the Mizukage's office to interrupt the meeting going on there."

I nodded in understanding. Of course I'd already been told the plan in full, but it was still good to get confirmation of what stage we were at.

As my eyes swept over the room I saw that Itachi, Deidara, Sasori, Orochimaru, Kisame, and Raiga were standing in one corner, talking. Spread out over a table before them was a large map of the Hidden Mist Village that was covered with several red dots. Kisame and Raiga were doubtlessly explaining to the Akatsuki where they'd be heading and who there targets were.

Yes, targets.

The Akatsuki had been given the task of assassinating several key members of the council that helped to rule the Hidden Mist Village. I honestly wasn't sure about how I felt about this. I mean, sure, they'd all done assassinations many, many times before including while they were apart of Akatsuki, but that didn't mean I had to like it. With a sigh, I turned my gaze away.

And it wasn't like I hadn't had to participate in a couple of those assassinations myself.

"Kristy...?"

With a jerk I turned to face Hiei. I opened my mouth to tell him that I was okay, only to pause. He had the strangest expression on his face, but I couldn't quite place what it was. Before either of us could say anything more Zabuza suddenly called for everyone's attention.

"Everyone else is in place," he said. He turned to the Akatsuki. "Do you four know where to go? Good. Then let's move out!"

We all burst into motion, gathering up our things and heading to the exits. As we did so, I once again turned to Hiei.

"I'll stay out of sight once we get to the Mizukage's office," I told him.

Hiei raised an eyebrow and then smirked at me. "Going to stay as the unknown leader of the Akatsuki, eh?"

I matched him smirk for smirk. "Of course!" I replied. "Besides, just imagine what people will think when they find out that the leader of the Akatsuki is a short teenage girl!"

I dissolved into a fit of snickers and even Hiei couldn't help but snort at the image. We were once again broken up by Zabuza as he strode over to us.

"Alright, alright, break it up lovebirds," he said with a smirk. "We've got to get going now, before the meeting ends."

Instantly both Hiei and I began to splutter out protests. I knew that my face was flaming red and suddenly found that I couldn't look at Hiei out of embarrassment. Damn that Zabuza! How dare he make an assumption like that!

Fortunately Zabuza's comment was quickly forgotten as we began to move out across the Village. The Mizukage's office was located in a tall government building in the middle of the Village, so we would have to skirt only a small amount of security on the way. Once we actually got into the building most of the security on a direct path to the office would be taken care of by other shinobi, so we were able to reach the office with minimal resistance.

Two ANBU in colorful masks and black cloaks were stationed outside of the door to the Mizukage's office. They were taken care of before they even new anyone was there and there now headless bodies slumped quietly to the floor. I took the time then to slip an illusion over my body, hiding me from view.

Zabuza took a deep breath and gave us all one last grin before throwing the doors open and stalking into the room.

The Mizukage's office was a large, oval-shaped room with only a long Japanese-style table in the middle. Five people, including a man wearing the white robe and hat that signified him as the Mizukage, were kneeling around that table. When the door suddenly burst open they all looked up in surprise, wondering who was interrupting their meeting. When they saw Zabuza stride into the room however, they became furious.

"Momochi!" one of the older men snarled, leaping from his seat. "What do you think you're doing?! This is a priva--!"

In an instant Zabuza's sword was out of its sheath and an inch away from the man's throat. He froze instantly, fear taking over his entire body, and started to take a step back before the narrowing of Zabuza's eyes persuaded him that such as action would not be in his best interest.

Behind the man the four others slowly rose from their seats. "What is this, Momochi-san?" the Mizukage asked quietly. His face was titled forward, causing his hat to shadow his face, effectively hiding it.

"This," Zabuza replied while Raiga and Hiei spread out to stand on either side of him, "Is a coup. But you'd probably already guessed this."

"You think you can get away with this?" another of the council members growled. Or at least I assumed the other four were council members since Kisame had told me that the Mizukage would be in a meeting with the top officials. That was why they'd picked this time to make their move. "No one will listen to you even if you try to take control!"

Zabuza smirked widely. "Oh, I believe they will, particularly with you backing me."

The speaker scoffed. "We would never do that! And even if you kill us the rest of the government will still take you down!"

Zabuza began chuckling, softly at first, but within a few moments it turned into full out laughter. "The rest of the government?" he sneered. "And who's that?"

I took that line as my queue and instantly activated the mind link that connected me to the Akatsuki. '_**It's time,**_' I told them. I felt their mental conformation and then just moments later they simultaneously activated the feature of the rings that used shadows to bring them to my location.

It was quite a sight, I couldn't help but muse. The four members of the Akatsuki literally stepped out of the shadows of the wall behind Zabuza, their black and red cloaks swirling around them. Each of them held the bloody head of one of the council members in their hands.

The other four council members and the Mizukage all let out choked gasps at this sight and began looking more than a little nervous. Zabuza just chuckled again.

"See?" he said while making a sweeping gesture with his free hand. "No one to 'take me down'. The rest of the council has been eliminated." He paused, listening to something from the radio receiver hooked over his ear, and then smirked like the cat that caught the canary. "All of the Village's guard posts, armories, and intel stations have been taken over and the citizens have been alerted and are gathering in the streets as we speak. You no longer have any base of power, nor any supporters. Your corrupt regime has come to an end."

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A/N: See, this one's out faster than last time...Even though I barely even got half the number of reviews for the last chapter. This chapter I actually got done really quickly, mainly because my muse forced me to. And my muse is frickin' scary when he wants to be. He's basically like a miniature version of Sali Tayi from Threads of Time (which, by the way is a fucking _awesome_ manga, but is not for kiddies). And for those of you who've never read ToT, Sali Tayi is kind of like an older, blood thirsty psychotic version of Sasuke (seriously, he looks almost exactly like Sasuke, but his personality is a hundred times darker. Sure, Sasuke had his whole family killed by his older brother, but Sali Tayi was completely abandoned by his parents so that they could save their own hides. And then when he met up with them again years later, they didn't even fucking remember him! And that's only part of his past! His entire history is so damn frustrating. And the worst part is, Sali Tayi was actually a real person and his character is entirely based off that real person.) ...Yeah, sorry for that little rant there. Again, I blame my muse.

Anyways, finally Hiei is fully in the story (**grins**) I debated with myself for a while about whether or not Zabuza would succeed with the Mist coup (for those of you who have read/see the manga/anime, he originally fails) but in the end certain...future events...pursued me that this was the best course of action. And before anyone asks, don't worry, Haku will still be in this story, if not for a little while.

This chapter is kind of like the end of the first half of the story. Now that Hiei is here and the Akatsuki has been mostly formed things will begin to pick up. There's still much, much more that I have planned though.

Please review! Ja ne!

--B.I.


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